Part of ProtoZone16: Hallucinogenesis, 13.09.-03.11.2024
Hagay
3 channel installation, Dondon Hounwn, 2013
Collection of Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
In the Truku language, “Hagay” refers to males with feminine traits. Their clothings are of androgynous symbols and design. Dondon Hounwn’s three-channel installation “Hagay” presents fabricated tales of the artist’s triple selves. It explores the fluidity of the term “Hagay” which was once considered natural existence but has now become a mockery term and unaccepted. The viewers witness the absolute beauty and holiness conveyed by those portrayed amidst a condition of conflict and oppression.
Truku artist Dondon Hounwn was born in the Dowmung tribe in Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan. Dondon Hounwn’s work cuts across media, generational and cultural lines, blending ancestral knowledge with avant-garde, cross-gender aesthetics. An inheritor of tribal ballads, instruments and rituals, he works in performance, installation, video and environmental theatre. In 2015, Dondon Hounwn founded Elug Art Corner where the indigenous youths research Truku cultural heritage. Since 2023, Dondon Hounwn holds annual GAYA Cosmos gathering with artists and researchers in exploring Gaya living principles.
The Reappearing of Ever-Changing Dwelling
installation, Temu Basaw, 2024
Temu Basaw’s work is inspired by the ancient language and myths. Through rituals, dreams, contemplations and practices, he searches for eternal ancient wisdom of Gaya.
Historically the tribal people when facing various environs for survival, kept a Nomad living, not having a permanent fixed dwelling, using rituals to barter with earth. Today, the hunters keep a simply made hut of mobility. They adapt to ever present changes with keen senses, in between eternal transformation and still life.
The work titled “The Reappearing of Ever-Changing Dwelling” is not built for geometrically solid, but a site specific intertwined structure with its wood planks intersecting each other, echoing contemporary architecture construct.
Temu Basaw, an artist from the Atayal tribe in central Taiwan, frequently incorporates natural materials into his work, while pushing the boundaries of traditional materials to explore a wide range of possibilities. This approach allows him to respond to the complex and challenging situations faced by Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples.
Temu is unafraid and bold in his use of materials that are unfamiliar to him, particularly those often labeled as “non-Indigenous materials” or “non-natural materials.” He embraces these as a way to challenge conventional artistic perspectives. Temu is particularly focused on how contemporary Indigenous people can reinterpret ancient sacred spiritual beliefs, and his exploration of diverse media enhances both the accuracy and potential of his creative expressions.
“The Reappearing of Ever-Changing Dwelling“ was built by Temu Basaw on the Landiwiese as part of a collaboration with Zürcher Theaterspektakel 2024 (”Living Gaya Dreaming Hagay” by Dondon Hounwn and Shu Lea Cheang) and transported to the Shedhalle after the festival.
The project was supported by National Culture and Arts Foundation (Taiwan), Ministry of Culture (Taiwan), Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation (Taiwan).
