Ya-chu Kang is a Taipei-based artist. She receive her master degree in Applied Art from National Tainan University of Art in Taiwan and whose work explores issues of identity, the relationship between human and natural and the social environment message through mix- media sculpture, site-specific installation, land art, video, drawing, photographs, textile research and collaboration.
Environment and life has always been interest for Kang, and how the materials relate to the body and physical perception. Observing different culture and tradition on her keep going travel experiences, she discovered that the similarities of social systems and many discarded resources that can be easily found and re-examined. Her art reflects the historical meaning and the ontological vale of the object itself. Described as “simulation form” the work eliminates the boundary between usable items and sculpture — the functional and the aesthetic. The materials themselves have nostalgic senses and original meaning perhaps hidden from their symbolism.
The themes of her multiple series of boundaries, such as natural and soul, life and death, time and space, as well as personal reactions to exteriors often articulated through textile process. Those process embracing accidents, mutations, and accretions of surface and detail with time; accepting nature to have its way with unstable mediums, including plant, sun, salt, and water; and intensive collaboration. Through her works itself to open the viewer’s experiences and imagination.
Kang has exhibited internationally since 2006, in Japan, Europe, North America, India, etc; received grants and awards nationally and internationally, including Taiwan National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taipei City Government and International AIR program fellowship.
CV
EDUCATION
2005 Tainan National University of the Arts, Applied Art graduate institute (M.F.A), Taiwan
2002 National Taiwan University of the Arts, Sculpture Department (B.F.A), Taiwan
RESIDENCIES
2016 Koganecho Area Management Center, Yokohama, Japan
2015 Sipna Walk Art Residency Project, Melgath tribal area, Paratwada, Maharashtra, India
Global Nomadic Art Project- Nature Renaissance, Gujarat, India
Äkkigalleria Residency Project, Jyväskylä, Finland
2014 Silpakorn Art Lab Residency Project, Nakorn Pathom Province, Thailand
International Art and Design Workshop, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2015 In Transit – Two Person Solo Exhibition, Taipei Artist Village Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2011 Border Crossings, Suho Paper Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
2010 As Covering, Tosee Art Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
Invisible posture, Gifu City Culture Art Center, Japan
2008 Forgotten- Opening studio, ARCUS, Japan
2007 Snow Day, Red Mill Gallery, Vermont, USA
TWO PEOPLE COLLABORATION EXHIBITIONS
2016 Somewhere In Between The Boundaries, Absolute Space for The Art, Tainan, Taiwan
2014 Upside Down Fire, Initial Gallery, Vancouver BC, Canada
2013 Boom and Bust, Art Experience Gallery, Hong Kong
Portable Walls, Maple Ridge Art Gallery, BC, Canada
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2017 Kokanejo Biennale, Kokanejo, Japan
Dadaocheng Summer Art Festival, Dadaocheng Public Stree Area, Taipei, Taiwan
Ganjyouji Kofun Art Exhibiton, Gifu, Japan
Collecting & So On, Taipei Fine Art Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
2016 Life of the Asia, Koganecho Area Management Center, Yokohama, Japan
Dadaocheng Summer Art Festival, AMA Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
15th International Triennial of Tapestry, Central Museum of Textiles, Łódź, Poland
Keelung International Marine Art Festival, Keelung, Taiwan
Very Fun Park @NTU, Organized by Fubon Art Foundation Taipei, Taiwan
2015 Modern Weavolution, Hong-Gah Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Guandu International Outdoor Sculpture Festival, Taipei, Taiwan
Very Fun Park, Organized by Fubon Art Foundation Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei Children’s Arts Festival, Bopiliao Historical Block Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
Object: About Memory and Time, Nunu Fine Art Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
Yuejin Lantern Festival, Yuejingang Riverside, Yanshui District, Tainan, Taiwan
2014 Culture and Social Cost, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
Ecolution of Taiwan Fiber Art, National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute, Taiwan
Art Solo 14 Art Fair, Taipei EXPO Park- EXPO Dome, Taipei, Taiwan
Boundaries and Diffusion, Yo-Chang Art Museum at National Taiwan University of Art, Taipei, Taiwan
Scythia 10 – International Biennial Contemporary Textile Art Exhibition, Kherson, Ukraine
Intertwined – Exploring Textile Art, Kaohsiung Fine Art Museum-Children Museum, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
PUBLISH
「Textile Map 2」, Garden City Publisher, April 2016, Taiwan
「Textile Map」, Garden City Publisher, Feb 2015, Taiwan
AWARD and GRANT
2016 “International Triennial of Tapestry”-2016-1 Culture Exchange Travel Grant, National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan
2015 “Äkkigalleria Residency Project”- 104-2 Culture Exchange Travel Grant, Taipei City Government, Taiwan
The Outstanding Popular Award- Art Exhibition Research for Social Devotion, Khon Kaen University, Thailand
Culture Research Travel Grant, Lung Yingtai Cultural Foundation, Taiwan/ Peru
2014 103-2 Creation Grant, Taipei City Government, Taiwan
2013 “Capture Photography Festival” in Canada- Exhibition Travel Grant, Taipei City Government, Taiwan
“Portable Walls” in Canada- Exhibition Travel Grant, Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
2012 Taipei Art Fair- MIT- Exhibition Grant, Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
“Portable Walls” in Canada- Exhibition Travel Grant, Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs, Taiwan
Judges Awards Winner- Make It Short, NW Film Center, Portland OR, USA (Recoil w/ Christian Nicolay)
VIDEO SCREENINGS
2015 7th Cairo Video Festival, Cairo, Egypt, w/ Christian Nicolay
Convergence, National Art Gallery Bangkok, Thailand, w/ Christian Nicolay
2014 VAEFF, Video Art & Experimental Film Festival, Juried, Tribeca Cinemas, NY,USA, w/ Christian Nicolay
Wayfinding Film Festival, Juried, Traveling festival screening at Force Field Festival, Philadelphia PA & Wassaic Project, Wassaic NY USA, w/ Christian Nicolay
