Since the Martial Law in Taiwan was lifted in the 1987, the conservative atmosphere in the society was soon dispelled by the energy to embrace the “new ideas.”  In this island country which used to be called “Formosa” – a beautiful place – there was no way for contemporary art to be apart from such a sudden change. Artists started to employ various types of materials in their artistic creation. Photography thus became one of the most frequently adopted genres for Taiwanese artists to practice their experimental ideas.  Liberated from a society once dominated by political ideology, artists were gradually fascinated by the complicated historical background and the multi-cultural influence in their own self-identity and the national identity.  The personal memory entwined with the mass collected experience thus became an inerasable mark branded on the development of the contemporary art in Taiwan.  The critical insight and the nostalgic touch interacted with each other, veiling the insecurity of all Taiwanese behind the rapid development in economy and politics. 

As an art gallery promoting multi-media artists in Taiwan, this summer Galerie Grand Siecle turns its eyes toward a more mature generation of artists — Mei Dean-E, Wu Tien-Chang, Chen Shun-Chu, Yao Jui-Chung.  In the exhibition <The Fragmentized Illusion: An Exhibition of Taiwan Contemporary Art>, these four artists will introduce you to have a closer look at how they picture the society in Taiwan – an illusion seemed surrealistic but also inseparable from our reality.