Eu Gene

Jia Hau, You. / Eugene1981. 7. 2. Taipei, Taiwan.— —Education：2007/ Taipei National University of the Arts, BA, Taipei.2009/ Central Saint Martins college, MAFA, London.2014~ / Topology Studio artist. — —Exhibitions：2018 “Soka So Young”, group show, Soka Art Center, Tainan.2017 “Daft Olympics”, solo show, Free Men Art Apartments,Taichung.2017 “Taiwan Annual”, group show, Taipei.2009 “The Cainozoic Asian”, group show, the Brick Lane Gallery, London. 2009 “Catch My Drift”, group show, Bargehouse OXO Gallery, London. 2007 “Eu Gene”, solo show, TNUA Nanpei Gallery, Taipei.2006 “Closer”, solo show, alternative space TC284, Taipei.2005 “Inside Outside”, solo show, TNUA Nanpei Gallery, Taipei.— —Artist Statement：Attempting to understand the irregularities of the modern world is akin to participating in a seemingly ordinary sports competition where normal rules somehow don't apply or fumbling terribly in a familiar yet strange parallel universe without any guidance. This is what I intend to present, a bleak era of constant frustration.
From traditional media to the digital age, as a contemporary painter, I want to embody evidence proving the observed actually existed. However, in a world of effects where everything can be virtualized, the image of men within digital images bears endless possibilities. Just like some time-space coordinate suspended in its midst, with use of various Photoshop tools, a picture can transform into infinite appearances. Therefore, the visual information we browse on the internet is like a version of one among the billions found in a parallel universe. Their nature is superficial pixels that are completely devoid of weight. Yet, this is what I wish to recreate, the true faces of the modern people.
While researching figurative paintings, I discovered that carriers of the canvas and sports fields share extremely similar conditions: both must actively exercise some “rules of competition” in limited specific spaces. Like Gilles Deleuze in Francis Bacon’s “Logique de la Sensation”, he described the image in Bacon’s work akin to athleticism being exercised on canvas. Such description genuinely amuses me. I believe of all competitions, a tennis singles match is a sport which best demonstrates the human figure’s image force and movement. It can also form a high contrast of rationality and sensibility with the venue.
Yet, what’s different compared to Bacon’s discourse is that I want to describe a man-made superficial touch that surpasses human nature. Highlight modifiable artificial properties of the human body in the digital age, also known as shallow skin that is inorganic, chemically synthesized and exists solely in the computer world. Because these effects generated images have influenced our way of life, formed everything we know, and symbolize all imaginations the modern man has towards real image. They even prophesized that artists in the future shall no longer observe nature and instead shift their attention to a fully virtual realm. That’s because our world has already entered an era where senses are processed into products. Such radical changes have caused humans to keep losing sight of humanity, becoming increasingly artificial. In the end of this story, we shall all become something completely different, like trendy and forever lasting rubber products. Our daily lives are as if participated in a sports competition that is deprived of humanity in a parallel world.
In the era of globalization, we all inevitably get formatted into easily replaceable tools of labor. Under such unreasonable rules, I praise the souls who still strive to maintain dignity as well as search for perfect poetry. We should embark on rebellious adventures and rediscover the true selves.