Tape Art — Solo | KCCA

Installation view of Dao Ming Chuang’s Tape Art Solo Exhibition, featuring two vibrant, abstract paintings with interactive tape pieces.

2022.04.23 — 06.19
King Car Cultural & Art Center, Nanjing Space
Taipei, Taiwan


Tape Art is a process where the artist intentionally alters a completed artwork by removing strips of paper tape from the surface. This act invites viewers and collectors to engage in a participatory experience that questions the very concept of when a painting is truly finished.

Regarding the completion of a painting, I believe there are three states: first, when the artist deems the work to be finished; second, when the artwork is on display; and third, when it is acquired by a collector. In all three states, the artist is no longer involved, meaning the image of the work will not be altered. Under this rule, I began to wonder whether it was possible to create a painting that exists simultaneously in both a completed and an incomplete state.

To explore this possibility, I have employed the temporary masking properties of paper tape to construct a dual temporal and spatial dimension within my Tape Art pieces. On one hand, these paintings appear complete, as all the imagery beneath the tape has been pre-arranged by the artist. Yet, on the other hand, they remain unfinished, as viewers can actively participate by removing the tape and revealing new layers of imagery. While the act of tearing is initiated by the viewer, it is still governed by the artist's predetermined rules. In this way, Tape Art occupies a paradoxical state of being both complete and yet incomplete.

Dao Ming Chuang carefully peels away paper tape from the surface of his vibrant artwork in his studio, showcasing his participatory Tape Art technique. Close-up of a hand using a knife to peel away yellow tape on a colorful abstract painting in Dao Ming Chuang's Tape Art series, inviting participatory engagement. A view of Dao Ming Chuang's Tape Art exhibition, showing partially peeled vibrant artworks with remnants of tape scattered on the wall and floor, representing ongoing participation in the completion of the piece. Close-up of Dao Ming Chuang’s layered and textured Tape Art on the exhibition wall, with additional colorful paintings in the background. A spotlight focuses on one of Dao Ming Chuang's Tape Art paintings, emphasizing soft pastel colors under tape masking at the exhibition. A single white artwork from Dao Ming Chuang's Tape Art series in a minimalistic exhibition space, emphasizing the delicate and subtle layers of tape still adhered to the surface.Three large-scale red and yellow abstract artworks by Dao Ming Chuang hang in the exhibition hall, surrounded by minimalistic lighting and a single bench. A bold red abstract artwork from Dao Ming Chuang's Tape Art series displayed in a gallery, filled with intricate strips of tape that create dynamic energy across the composition.
A time-lapse of Dao Ming Chuang's Tape Art, where strips of tape are peeled to reveal the abstract artwork beneath, highlighting the dynamic process of creation and deconstruction.

Interestingly, from the perspective of Dao Ming's works, this is not what is typically considered participatory art. The act of peeling off the tape does not turn the audience into co-creators of the artwork, as the areas where the tape can be removed and the possible visual effects are all within the artist’s control and design. As such, this participatory mechanism offers the audience an experience of "personally witnessing how the artwork reaches completion." It allows the viewer to genuinely say, "My actions have altered the visual appearance of the artwork."

Emmy Swanson
已然而未然的圖畫

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