From Sunflower 2014 of the 10th Year before and after
By Luchia Meihua Lee
Island Sunrise team
Taking a stand on contentious issues may result in a particular chamber of peoples whom play as a whole, by refusing to compromise the statement or action. In this people’s movement exhibition, As James Davison Hunter indicated that signals solidarity and support if we explore to a culture wars, we have observed the whole points of civil society, …is to provide mediating institutions to stand between the individual and the state, or the individual and the economy. and a value of the benefit to remeasure and volatile future, and leave a felling of empowered and make a difference. on the other hand, cultural and art influencers can offer their communities a place to decompress, it is a brake, might play a role of anti-inclusive values segment. [2] The people's movements explore the cultural, political, and economic challenges facing society and devise strategies to shape better tomorrow. It is might change the boundary to serve society and foresight, we can provide a window and spotlight on current challenge of efficiency into the world of volatility connotation.
In March 2014, young people led Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement which in time completely reversed the course of Taiwan’s foreign and domestic policy. On the 10th anniversary of the movement, we would point out that social and political change is won through the brave spirit and effort of the movement leaders and the people - not awarded as a lucky accident. This program will involve artists celebrating peoples’ political movements – largely youth-led – that took place around the world circa 2014. We select 5 movements: the Sunflower Movement, the Arab Spring, the Chilean Winter, the Ukrainian Euromaidan movement, and Hong Kong’s umbrella movement – all of approximately the same era as Taiwan’s Sunflower movement – to which artists will respond.
First among them, of course, is Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement in which students and other youth occupied Taiwan’s legislative body in protest of the plan by ruling government (that of Ma Ying-Jeou) to strengthen trade ties with China. The Sunflower Movement was successful in blocking the proposed legislation, and led to many of its participants eventually entering formal political life and thus rejuvenating Taiwan’s political culture. It’s tenth anniversary will be on March 18, 2024.
Other movements to be celebrated will be Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement, which took place between 26 September and 15 December 2014 – so 2024 will also mark the 10th anniversary of this movement. Led by Hong Kong youth, this movement was sparked by China’s proposed changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system – changes that the movement unsuccessfully opposed and were later imposed unilaterally by the government in Beijing. However, this movement was resurrected on its fifth anniversary in 2019 to protest the bill enabling extradition to China – and trial there – of residents of Hong Kong. Beijing eventually imposed this bill on Hong Kong, further eroding the special status of Hong Kong in violation of the 50-year special administrative status of Hong Kong negotiated by the United Kingdom and China in 1997. However, this exhibition will glorify the spirit of public self-sacrifice exemplified in Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement, and in evidence in each of these popular movements.
Some element of the Arab Spring will be included in this exhibition. While that movement took place in several Arab countries – with varying degrees of success – in the early 2010’s. The Arab Spring started in Tunisia, and then spread to Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain. In Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Tunisia, rulers were deposed. Protests took place across the Arab world, most particularly in Morocco, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Sudan. All these were movements by youth in opposition to authoritarianism and in pursuit of democracy as well as a brighter economic future, and so fit the theme of this exhibition. While 2024 will be the 12th or 13th anniversary of this movement (depending on which country one looks at), it deserves to be included in this exhibition because of its aims. It is hoped to examine more carefully the Arab Spring as it took place in Tunisia (where it was successful).
Numerous political movements in South and Central America were youth-led protests. Perhaps one of the most notable was that in Chile in 2011 to 2013. Known as the Chilean Winter, it was a student-led protest against the poor for-profit educational system – especially the post-secondary educational system - extant in Chile at that time which tended to perpetuate Chilean class structure because the children of the very rich had adequate educational choices, but not the children of middle-class families. This system dated to the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, who was not more benign than General Chiang Kai-Shek in Taiwan. In both Taiwan and Chile, the transition to democracy took place peacefully – without a revolution – while political movements such as those discussed herewith fine-tuned that democracy.
The youth movements in Ukraine were known as the Euromaidan or Pomvrancheva revolution. The movement is named after Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kiev, one of the first sites of demonstration on 18 February 2014; the protestors at one point also attempted to occupy the legislative branch. Unlike with the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan, armed police stymied this move, killing, wounding or arresting numerous protestors. The achieved aim of the Euromaidan movement was to topple President Yanukovych whom the protestors considered too close to Russia. Yanukovych had negotiated an agreement for Ukraine to join the EU, then declined to do so in favor of closer ties with Russia – an echo of the closer ties with China advocated by Ma Ying-Jeou in Taiwan.
Ultimately, the success of the Euromaidan revolution, which was supported by speakers of Ukrainian and opposed by Ukrainian speakers of Russian, emboldened Russia to seize the Crimean Peninsula, a Russian-speaking area of Ukraine. A variety of artists from the region will make and display art commenting on the Euromaidan revolution in Ukraine.
This exhibition thus celebrates youth-led popular movements of approximately 10 years vintage and simultaneously highlights both the similarities and differences between them. Social and political change is never straightforward and compartmentalized, let alone complete – which is why we have chosen a variety of such movements.
The participating artists in Taiwan Sunflower Movement, first is
Tsung-Jung Liu 劉宗榮 , Sunflower Movement frontline artist, Liu involve the social movement with art work from Taiwan Dapo issue(大埔事件), In June 2010, Miaoli County Magistrate Liu Zhenghong deployed crane entered the rice fields and destroyed the rice husks that were about to be harvested shocked the country. The issue of land expropriation spread. The forced demolition incident in Da po triggered 20,000 people to take to the streets in Taipei to protest, and they occupied the Ministry of Interior for an all-night sit-in, demanding an apology and compensation, return of the land to its original owner, a thorough investigation of the abuses, and immediate amendment of the law. Many of Sunflower main protecters are also the key supporters.
from 2012 to 2014, large mural , portraits was completed, symbolizing the determination of Ta Pu residents to protect their home. On July 2014, artist Liu Tsung-Jung started wall painting at the original site of demolition Cheung Pharmacy to create the "Four Evil Men" paintings. The paintings included portraits of Ma Ying-jeou, Wu Dunyi, Jiang Yihua, Liu Zhenghong, and many young people who caused the Da Pou Incident. Take the initiative to join. In following many social justices event, he participated and walking into the frontline to hold the strong will protect the justice of the society. in his studio, numerous archives are collected to show the historical records. The large painting ‘Illuminating Darkness“ he painted in 2014, is a spirit symbol of Sunflower, he use skillful painting other portraits such as Lee Deng Hui, in mingle with Jad mountain. Also the pioneer of Taiwan Independent leader Shi-Min, he catch the shape eye in this leaders. As an passionate in care about country, he not only with humble humanity personality with love from what he deep involved in christin believe.
Enbion Micah Aan洪延平, is a New York human rights activist photographer, he care all the people’s movement, from the photography he taken, about the animal right, environmental subject, to the education pursue, also
Island Sunrise Team島嶼天光團隊, Sunflower Movement frontline art team, although the portrait artist would like to be anonymous, while people known he has painted over 12 paintings during the occupying legislative Yuan, all these portraits can be any of people who participating the protect, and unknown the name. the group also made a documentary video to records the demonstration.
Hsin Yi Liu 劉欣怡, Artists who participated in the Sunflower Movement protests, as she always soft middle tone color to paint two large abstract paintings to reveal the chaotic of Taiwan, China and the world situation. Chia H. Kuo (The social activist sculptor who made the portrait of Dr. Lai Ching The, who been elected to be the President in 2024. Consider the project which include two of the pioneer influence Taiwan’s democracy, as former President Lee Teng-Hui, been call the Father of Taiwan Democracy. Who ended the ariscratic of Chiang Family dynasty in Taiwan, and return the vote right to Taiwanese People. Two portrait of Shi Ming, also by Liu Tsung-Jung, which been very much represent Taiwan’s democratic transition.
In Ukrainian Euromaidan revolution
Oleksii Koval , an Ukrainian artist in exile, he is familiar enamel skill in making large size of the crafts, lithograph, and painting. Her work are details ornament which present a type of royal and metallic surface atmosphere which even two dimensional print or the silk fabric, in this time a large stripe fabric print in similar a queen or king’s wear rope, and a imperial motifs on the fabric. While also in some way compare to the current Ukraine-Russia War, will it showing the past of the classical splendor are gone with the wind, and two palm hold that pray the future unknown, and unpredictable. Consider an Ukranin artist in exile in US.
Taiwanese American artist Shih-Pao Lin 林世寶 (Artists with themes of humanitarianism in the Ukraine-Russia war), who are walking to the Was Zone in person. In 2023, he started a drawing series of “One painting, one prayer”, he first paint the blue and yellow background on the paper, the start his drawings, the small painting only 8 by 10 size, and he start to do fund raising for the Ukraine artists.
In the exhibit, we can see a 5,000-kilometer road map that Shih Pao Lin traveled in Ukraine with Ukrainian NGOs members in two weeks. They pass by various towns when getting further and get closer to the the front line, along the way, many cemeteries, we can see the statue and soldiers with wings along the way, these soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country. As long as we see the cemeteries, we are all asked to get out of the car to pay tribute to the soldiers. He said, I cannot remember in that town that tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians sacrificed too much.
To talk about the catastrophic of Chilean Winter, the revolution are not successful, the country is still under the dictatorship, for an female artist, María Verónica San Martín, a Chilean human rights artist, a multi-talent and very bravely choose to use her art work to present and to memorized the people who has scarified during the revolution. She use woodcut print, silk print making a fantastic subject, she is also taking mixed media in reveal her beautiful country in a sublime beauty landscape, byt while cover in the suffering of the people. A performance she choose the stick to …
Arab Spring, to the country in the middle east, I might include artist from Yemen, or Tunisians , I choose Kevork Mourad, Armenian caravan artist whose family was exiled due to genocide）, in all period human history, genocide has occurred in the prominent in 20 century, while the Turk and Amenia that killing million Armenians that might be almost forgotten, artists Kevork “four fact” video piece that follow his black and while fabric cutting and illustration style, that in a historical lyric sorrow phenomena, in a sorrow exotic music lead to this whisper background animation open the preface, enter to a no people empty abandon splendor pathetic bundles to reveal, a death, ruin, slaughter exposure, a utterness view that in both staging, and factual grief stress. In the exhibit, sailing nowhere, a sail boat that carry a three panel wings with all disposing of the faces of the bodies blood stain.
Many of artists unlike Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement, artist Tracy Wong 黄國才, Hong Kong social activist artist in exile in Taiwan, who has been mentally, physically suffered in Hong Kong’s movements, although now he exile and living in Taiwan, while the shadow, are still make him tremble, and nightmare, not only direct walking to the street, he act, performed, documented, a studio that been neatly arranged and documented, all the performance large mask, toyed human, the cocktail can be transfer to be a visually beautiful sculpture. His under the yellow umbrella drawings, sketches and people that unknown, a studio that open to the people, and the people form this ideology protect. Helping people find common ground.
A people’s movement often provide a spotlight on timely perils and exposures thus to help the potential clues about how the government to modify risk management to better serve the community people. The movements, as a whole in common ground, in Hunter’s words “they are mediating, educating." by launch these movements as echo of society, people’s movements which engaging in hard conversations, in their society, country and with communities. People are continuing to fill a critical role in each century.
References:
1. https://www.civilmedia.tw/archives/20038
大埔強拆周年》歷史不能忘記 大埔事件公庫全紀錄 | 公民行動影音紀錄資料庫 (civilmedia.tw)
2. Culture Wars: The Struggle to Control The Family, Art, Education, Law, And Politics In America Paperback – October 14, 1992
3. Culture War 2.0, Museum, January/February 2024. American Alliance of Museums. P. 12
4. The Activist Legacy of Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement, Ming-sho Ho, AUGUST 02, 2018. ARTICLE Source: Getty
5. Bi-khim Hsiao, A letter to the public （蕭美琴立委草擬了一封英文公開信, 主要是要向國際友人說明這次學生運動的主要訴求以及馬政府的無理）蕭美琴 Bi-khim Hsiao , March 25, 2014 ·
https://www.facebook.com/100044353752888/posts/10152034392490687/
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In this special project, we have Panelists: from us, whom all in some way, exile from their country and lives and works in US. They are:
Wei-Ting Chen, Sunflower Movement frontline activist陳為廷(當年運動參與者,现在DC)
Lin Jie, Sunflower Movement frontline activist林倢（當年運動參與者, 現在在National Democratic Institute）
Yu-Lun Shih, Sunflower Movement frontline activist施懿倫 (當年運動參與者, 現在芝加哥)
Kun-Yang Chang, Hong Kong political movements frontline activist張崑陽（香港政治運動領袖，現在流亡美國，在DC智庫上班）
Jenny Wang, Sunflower Movement in New York activist. Jenny Wang（太陽花台灣年輕人在紐約的行動）
Island sunrise team
Maria Veronica San Martin
Kevork Mourad
Island Sunrise team
Island Sunrise team
Kacey Wong
Tsung-Jung Liu
Tsung-Jung Liu
Carle Chi, Prayer, 2014, oil on panel, 14 x16 inches
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