Artist’s Signatures, 2013
5 editions of 9 Taiwanese master artist’s signatures on paper, 45×45 cm.
Statement:
Artist’s signature is used as a key for artist’s career and value of artwork in many ways especially in modern art world. Today some artists use and some not use it to identify themselves and their works. And that makes me curious whether it is still meaningful and powerful, by starting from the process of creating it.
Artist’s Signatures is a collection of Taiwanese master artist’s signatures. The artists are from different practices, genders, ages and locations in Taiwan. Each signature was made after a conversation in person with artists about his or her art practice and the use of artist’s signature in relation to artwork.
The artwork highlights artist’s signature itself and how each artist allocate signatures on 5 same papers in different time. Conversely, the most significant value to me is the existing of these artists, which not centers to their artwork.
During the process of meeting each artist in person and have a conversation with them, the signature were made relatively as a dialog of participation.
However, there are many questions may come up toward to the final work. Does Artist’s signatures stands as an indicator of artists who officially create and complete an artwork or an artwork? If it an approval of artist, whether the signatures are an approval of these artists and art project? In contrast, this project is able to complete by collecting signatures.
And, if it considers as an artwork, who an author of the work is? Initiative artist who conceptualize the project or the one who create the signatures? It is possible that initiative artist in this case responsibility the project from beginning to the end, nevertheless each artist authored each signature. There will be many more questions to come from different perspective over this unusual form.
The information of artist’s name, position of signature on each paper, when and where artist sign the signature will be shown on a map, which is attached to each artwork.
The 10 master artists are listed by an artist collective “Open Contemporary Art Center” (OCAC) in a condition that master artists are person who give a significance influence and are highly respected as an artist to OCAC’s generation.