Asia Art Center is pleased to present a body of new work by American artist Katja Farin. On view from 14^th September to 10^th November, this presentation marks Farin’s first solo show in Asia.

Asia Art Center has been committed to the Taiwanese art scene since its establishment in 1982, and from 2024, the AAC International Artist Residency Program in Taiwan is launched with the mission of nurturing emerging talent and mid-career artists as well as exploring new ways to contribute to the field of art beyond exhibitions. Asia Art Center invites artists from around the world to experience the unique way of life and vibrant culture scene in Taiwan which may provide new sources of inspirations for the artists. As the first participant of the AAC International Artist Residency Program in Taiwan, Katja Farin has been living and working in the fishing village of Nanfang’ao by the eastern coast of the island throughout the month of August to early September. The village’s rich historical and cultural backdrop offers a meaningful context for the artist’s six-week residency, encouraging exploration and creative engagement.

Paintings executed during the residency period are to be included in the exhibition Blind Spot. Layered with Farin’s signature vivid oranges, reds, greens and blues with local elements such as fishing boats, window gratings, animals, insects and plants that make up everyday scenes for the locals are visible indications of the artist’s observant eye. In contrast to the works the artist completed in London which are mostly set within an interior, the Nanfang’ao paintings depict outdoor environments which reflect on the natural scenery of the village.

Best known for their figurative paintings which investigate the unconscious mind, the collective unconscious and the personal, the seemingly expressionless protagonists in Farin’s works are often painted in vibrant colours and stage-like settings that explore the relationships between the self, the space and the surroundings. Farin’s complex compositions frequently portray seemingly insignificant everyday scenes, such as figures sitting idlily within an unidentified interior as seen in Flowers for You, Splitting While Entering and Lost Keys, or a person collapsing from exhaustion in Exhausted Bed. The relationship between the figures is unclear, but the sense of ambiguity and anxiety over one’s identity, physical appearance and self-acceptance as well as difference, is constantly present. The impassive and blank faces of the androgynous figures appear to be awkward and secluded from their surroundings. There’s an air of suspension in the narratives which are not bound to any particular storyline or timeline hence are open for interpretation. The figures in Entering from Exiting and Ghost Behind the Screen break the boundaries between spaces, whilst the subconscious of the figures in Starting to Detach and Limited Curtain Call appear to be detaching itself from the physical bodies, as if escaping from the reality.

Farin’s complex compositions and the use of bold colours are highly theatrical with a strong sense of narrative. “Gender is a performance”, says Farin. Gender is not an essential quality or identity determined by biology, but a performative act reinforced by societal norms. Individuals who cannot or would not be pigeonholed as women or men often face negative consequences. This conventional configuration has been challenged as the society progresses, yet the debate on the topic continues. Farin’s works deal with gender dysphoria and insecurities about appearances, the staging of the scenes refers to one’s external performances executed to fulfill societal expectations, whereas the internal life may remain hidden away behind the screens. The role of an artist as a maker and producer of their art is in fact reflective of the invention of gender roles, which one is not born with, but grows into, as shaped by the society. Via their brushworks, Farin addresses the source of such anxieties which is shared by most members of the public.

This exhibition also sees the largest display of Farin’s ceramic works. Glazed in greys, browns, greens and white, the ceramic pieces with spiky ends, ceramic and metal chains as well as mirrors, which are reiterations of symbols found in Farin’s canvases. Through the presentation of both two dimensional and three-dimensional works, Farin examines emotional blind spots, the lingering trauma, unresolved conflicts which are tucked away in one’s subconscious not wanting to be disturbed or reminded. The two media are closely bonded by the reflected images of the paintings in the mirrors, whilst the reflections of the viewers are then trapped within this vortex, establishing a relationship with a dreamlike dysphoric space.

Katja Farin begun their stay in Nanfang’ao as a newcomer, navigating their way around town soaking in the languages, street scenes and cultures which were all foreign to them. By the end of the residency, they have become part of the community whose presence will be missed by the friendly residents.

Katja Farin

Farin received a BA in Fine Art from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2018 and is a candidate for an MFA degree from the Slade School of Fine Art in London. Selected solo exhibitions include Friends Indeed (San Francisco), Era Gallery (Milan), Lubov (New York) and in lieu (Los Angeles). Their art has been included in group exhibitions at Pace Gallery (Hong Kong), Alexander Berggruen (New York), Beers (London), Wilding Cran (Los Angeles) and Nicodim (Los Angeles). They live and work in Los Angeles, CA and London, UK.

Katja Farin in Nanfang’ao: AAC International Artist Residency Program in Taiwan

http://www.asiaartcenter.org/asia/?p=99233&lang=en