Walking Grass Agriculture: Queer Kitchen Day1
Walking Grass Agriculture: Queer Kitchen
The Taiwanese art collective Walking Grass Agriculture: Han-sheng Chen and Hsing-yu Liu, who both come from farming families, integrate geography, field studies, and material culture research, transforming their agricultural experiences into a unique artistic methodology. In recent years, their focus has expanded to include ecological concerns, urban transformation, and gender issues.
The collective hails from Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s largest port city, whose urban development, industrial landscapes, and diverse culture have much in common with Rotterdam. The collaboration between Walking Grass Agriculture and WORM Rotterdam is an organic coming together of principles, curiosities, and investigative nature.
The Walking Grass Agriculture is participating in the Art Central Rotterdam XL. The artists will be present during the open studio and invite audiences to join them in a silkscreen printing workshop from 15:00 to 17:00.
In this silkscreen printing workshop, Walking Grass Agriculture takes wild vegetables and plants as background patterns with main patterns of three fruits introduced to Taiwan during the Dutch period in the 17th century –wax apple, sugar apple, and mango. With the silkscreen printing, they invite the participants to print on the table cloth. They will guide participants to consider the intersection of exotic and native species plants in Taiwan’s food culture. This workshop is not only an artistic practice, but a deep reflection on botanical culture of a specific place, allowing participants to realize the close connection between food and historical significances.
Don’t miss out on this uniquely curated program!
Liu Hsing-Yu
Liu Hsing-Yu is an enthusiastic follower of the first-generation Pokémon and Cardcaptor Sakura. Born in Kaohsiung in 1985, Liu received his MFA degree from the National Kaohsiung Normal University. After he earned the honourable mention in the 2018 Taipei Arts Awards, he was invited in 2019 to participate in the “Cosmopolis #2: Rethinking the Human” curated by the Centre Pompidou. Working as an art critic, curator, artist, and the founder of the Walking Grass Agriculture, Liu has perennial interest in gender, farming, and environmental issues. The exhibitions he has curated include the "Survival of the Exceptional"(2020, Tainan Taiwan), “Attachment-Detachment: The fluxes of subjects and objects” Hong Kong＆Taiwan Art Exchange Exhibition” in Cattle Depot Artists Village.（2017）“The philosophy of disclosure” at Digiark, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts（2017）“Lifetime Warranty – The Romance of Home Appliances “ at Taipei Digital Art Center（2018）
Han-Sheng, Chen
Born in 1988, Kaohsiung (Taiwan), and graduated from Taipei National University of Arts. Currently a Dierctor of the TAIPEI ArtCreator Trade Union, and a Curator of Walking Grass Agriculture. He works with experimental animation and mixed media kinetic installations, incorporating his own background and identity. His themes often include agriculture, nature and the coexistence of human beings with our environment. His works have garnered many positive responses, silver medal in the Taipei Arts Award, Honorable mention in Tokyo Art Olympia, including the first prize of Next Art Tainan, silver medal in the MATA prize, selected for the Taoyuan Contemporary Arts Award ,the Digital art award Taipei, National Art Exhibtion ROC and the Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale. Once Residency in C-lab creators, China Art35, The PIER-2 Art Center, Bangkok Tentacles, Chiang Mai Ne’-Na Contemporary Art Space, Bamboo Curtain Studio. Works have been exhibited in France Centre Pompidou, Bangkok Biennial, Spain Esplugues Angelina Alós 19th, Italy POP UP MINIARTEXTIL.
In September 2024, the collective will participate in a one-month residency in S/ash Gallery at WORM Rotterdam.
WORM serves as a productive soil for the seeds of this cultural exchange of sailors, pirates and inherent farmers to break in a new artistic playground to explore the personal and familiar aspects within the grand narratives of colonisalism and migration.
We invite you to dock by on our packed September weekend, to start the new cultural season with us and harvest the fruits of their labour.
Han-sheng and Hsing-yu are researching the post-colonial discourse on exchanging goods with a focus on plants and objects.
The Walking Grass Agriculture collective is collaborating with organisations like Limestone Books Maastricht, Ook Huis and De Garage by hosting workshops and cooking sessions.
Keep an eye on our Instagram page to stay updated!
The collective will be opening their studio doors to the public during the Art Centraal XL Rotterdam.
From 13:00-18:00 the artists will be present in the space to tell you about their process, research and offer insights to their art practice.
The final outcome of this residency will culminate into an exhibition opening on the 25th of September 2024 at 15:00!
More information about Walking Grass Agriculture
Read this article by Florian Cramer on Han-sheng Chen and Hsing-yu Liu here!
!!The two day Open Studio visits are part of our 25 WORM celebration!!
More informaiton about WORM 25