top of page

"COVERING":
DOES IT REPRESENT "PROTEST"?

Keyword: NO INTENTION

HUANG: "I followed the legal process for this project. First, I sought approval from the artist...

Keyword: FOR FUN

HSIN: "No, I think it's just for fun...I think he would be quite happy and find it funny. This may include my..."

In the interview with Huang, he explained that since he built a wooden box to cover up the original sculpture, many experts interpreted his work as a form of “protest” against the current situation. However, Huang clarified that he did not have any intention of protesting, and this can be understood if one knew how he followed the rules in the preparation stage. He clarified, "I want to make it clear that I have no intention of protesting against Lai's work. I believe there is nothing wrong with the sculpture's existence in that location. It simply appears to be disconnected from its surroundings due to flawed public policy. What I want to highlight is the spectacle, not to protest against it."

Huang informed me that he obtained permission from both the artist and the school to construct a box around Lai's sculpture. He explained, "I followed the legal process for this project. First, I sought approval from the artist. Then, I received permission from the department responsible for managing the school's public spaces. Therefore, what I did was completely legitimate, and that is why I do not consider this work a form of protest. If it were a protest, I would have had to break rules and not follow guidelines. However, I did not leave the work unattended after the project was completed; I restored the space and the sculpture to its original state. Nonetheless, I understand that these are all stories behind the scenes. If the audience is not aware of the story from the artist, they will never know. In other words, only if you know the background story will you understand that this is not a protest. Therefore, we can say that this is a problem between the form and the artist's intention.”

In the above scenario, understanding the artist's personality may be the key to answering whether the artist intended to "protest." In other words, even though Hsin felt distant from art, he might be able to sense Huang's intention. Therefore, I asked Hsin if he thought that Covered Chi-Man Lai Sculpture expressed any disagreement with the original work. Hsin quickly responded, "No, I think it's just for fun." Additionally, throughout the interview, he consistently described Huang as "a nice person" or "a good friend to talk to." He stuck to using these friendlier adjectives to describe Huang and never portrayed him as aggressive in any sense.

Later, when I asked Hsin about Lai's opinion of Huang's behavior, he said, "I think he would be quite happy and find it funny. This may include my personal stereotype of artists that they are full of humor and generosity. I believe that when he learned that Huang was doing this, he would have found it interesting." In fact, as Huang claimed, the artist approved the project without knowing the meaning behind it. Lai simply said, "Sure, you can do it. But the sculpture is very tall, so be careful not to fall down!"

It reminded me that when I asked Huang what he thought about the differing interpretations of his work, he responded, "My mind is blank right now. Ask me again later." Huang went on to explain that he typically speaks with people who share similar backgrounds and understanding, so they are able to quickly grasp the meaning behind his work. However, in this specific scene, it seems that there are now questions about who truly understands his intentions.

Review

Huang's art

bottom of page