Global Priority Worldwide Multimedia Exhibition 與世界接軌 「國際優先郵件」世界巡迴展
Under globalization, between individuals
The Global Priority Exhibition in the Pier 2 Art District, Kaohsiung, lasting for one month, is a show which aims to let people from all over the world have mutual communication through art. The exhibition organizer, Gordon M. Knox, from the USA, thinks people all around the globe are fundamentally united as human beings. He plans his Global Priority Exhibition of multimedia art so as to let people all over the world contact each other through an art network. Kaohsiung City is the second stop of his exhibition.
The Global Priority Exhibition involves Knox collecting works of art from artists all over the world. The works need to be portable, of course; and each displayed work needs to meet the regulations of the Exhibition. The exhibition focuses on the topic of globalization. The first showing of the Global Priority Exhibition, in New Zealand last year, involved over thirty artists with whom Knox was familiar, together with their artist friends - the number altogether was fifty-one artists from thirty-three countries. Taiwan is the second stop for the Exhibition. Knox is hoping, from his visit, to learn about Taiwanese artists and to include selected Taiwanese works for display in his other exhibitions all around the world.
Artists of various tribes & nationalities
Knox, who has a Master's Degree in Humanities from the UK's top Cambridge University, thinks as follows. "Humanities and Art are always connected. Art reflects human life. Each artist's work of art seems like a mirror that lets the viewers feel, after seeing the work, just as if they are viewing their own lives." In the Global Priority Exhibition, the atmosphere surrounding many works is thus pretty serious. But the works aim to show a happier side also - of human care and compassion.
Because artists come from different countries, each displayed work needs to meet the regulations of international posting. The Global Priority Exhibition involves many kinds of medium. Most works are visual images. However, there are also jigsaw puzzles, paper envelopes for searching people, images projected on to the wall from a slide machine and then something additionally painted by Knox or local artists on this wall, and so on. The works are engagingly varied.
Unfinished exhibition, endless creativity
Among all the works, one made of rubber by South African artist Andries Botha is most eye-catching. This work comprises four big pieces, imitating human skin and intended to illustrate "Example, Patriarchalism, Power, and Compassion". These four big pieces bear scars supposedly symbolizing South Africa's earlier racial discrimination and civil strife. After Mandela won the political stage in South Africa, he hoped people in that country might be "reconciled" - might forget and forgive the past. He encouraged people to open their hearts to communicate, to abandon past conflict and to let South Africa continue forwards to more improvement. The four big pieces imitating human skin depict the history of South Africa, including the distressing history of events and the different races' attitudes after Mandela came to power. The whole work is meant to have not only great visual shock value but also a serious historical meaning.
Besides many works that convey the ideas of different races, another rather interesting work is a square shape of Chinese characters that are explored by a Chinese artist, Xu Bing living in America, and a Japanese friend of his.
In letters of Xu Bing's replying to his Japanese friend, the words are seen as Chinese characters at first glance; however, when they are examined more carefully, each Chinese character is actually composed of English letters. This engaging work tests not only viewers' English ability but also their imagination.
The Global Priority Exhibition ends on 13 April in Taiwan, but then it will proceed to other countries. Within the next two years, Knox will mount his Exhibition in different parts of the United States and in Japan, Korea and South Africa. Of course, the content of the future exhibitions is not yet precisely known. Yet one thing that is very sure: the Exhibition will grow and will probably, in the future, include works by Taiwanese artists.
全球化下的個體交流
在駁二藝術特區展出一個月的「國際優先郵件展」，是一項透過藝術讓世界各國人聚集的展出，美國策展人Gordon M.Knox認為，全球主要構成份子是人類，為了讓全球人類可以透過藝術的網絡聯繫，策劃了這場走遍全球各國的「國際優先郵件」多媒體藝術展，高雄市是該展的第二站。
「國際優先郵件展」是Knox在向各國藝術家徵件時，即表明希望能夠攜帶方便，每件參展作品都必需符合國際優先郵件的規格而得名，展覽以著眼全球化為出發，去年在紐西蘭的「國際優先郵件」首展，就是由Knox所熟識的三十多位藝術家再介紹他們的藝術家朋友，總共有來自三十三個國家、五十一個藝術家的參展；台灣是第二站，Knox也希望在台灣展出後能夠認識台灣的藝術家，並吸納台灣藝術家的作品到「國際郵件優先展」中，再帶到世界各地展出。
多媒體呈現人文關懷
擁有英國劍橋大學社會人文學碩士學位的Knox認為，人文社會與藝術本來就是相連結的，藝術呈現人類的生活，每位藝術家的作品就像是一面鏡子，讓觀者在看作品時也好像在看自己的生活一樣，也因此，在「國際優先郵件展」中，許多作品所呈現出來的氛圍或許是沈重的，但卻也都展現出人文關懷的一面。
因為是來自不同國家的藝術家，且每件展品都必須符合國際郵件的規格，所以「國際優先郵件展」中所呈現出來的媒材也相當多樣，最多的是影像作品，還有拼圖、尋人的紙袋、每次展出都必須從幻燈機將影像打在牆上，再由Knox或是當地的藝術家畫在牆上的作品等，作品相當多樣。
多族裔藝術家多元呈現
在所有作品中，南非藝術家Andries Botha以橡膠材質所做成的四大張仿人體皮膚的「模範．父權主義．權力．憐憫」最為顯眼，在這四大張人體皮膚上有著因為南非早先種族歧視、戰爭讓人民因而受傷的傷口痕跡，但在南非總統曼德拉上台後，他希望人民能夠前嫌盡釋，大家徜開心胸溝通，拋棄過去的紛爭，讓南非能夠往前走，四大張仿人體皮膚有悲傷的歷史事件，也有曼德拉上台後各種族人的言論內容，整件作品不僅在視覺上有相當的震憾度，更有著深遠的歷史含義。
除了許多表現各國種族間的作品外，還有一件相當有趣的作品是居住在美國的中國藝術家徐冰與日本友人探討中國方體文字的創作，在徐冰回給日本友人的信件上，乍看是中國字，但仔細一看，每個中國字都是由英文字所組成，非常有趣。
展覽未完成創意無止境
四月十三日「國際優先郵件展」在台灣結束後，並不表示這項展覽已經結束，而是下一個國家展覽的開始，因此對Knox來說，這個展並沒有完成，也沒有最終展出期限，只是在兩年內，他排定了在美國各州、日本、韓國、南非等地展出，未來展出的內容未可知，但可以確定的是，愈到後面，展覽的內容會愈豐富，台灣藝術家也將不會缺席。