“The angle at which one looks up at something determines what we see and the way in which we experience life” – Christopher Columbus

2010 marks the end of the first decade of the New Millennium. In 2007 Fubon Art Foundation made a promise that “Very Fun Park” would henceforth be an annual event and through experimentation and debate gradually developed a more fixed approach and style. This year “Very Fun Park” is a carnival-like event, headed by a group of artists. The works on show in the eastern district of Taipei City are like flowers in full bloom, their intriguing beauty and wonderful fragrance attracting office workers or students on vacation as they pass by, searching the displays out one by one and escaping from the summer heat. In the light of these developments an increasing number of people we know and even those seeing the exhibition for the first time have felt the need to tell us about the sheer joy they experienced at an occasional encounter with art as they wandered the streets window-shopping. Of course, in the recounting of such tales we felt much inspired by the fact that shared memories have replaced unfamiliarity and disassociation, leaving warmth and wonder in their place.

The direct and indirect results of “Very Happy Park” went far beyond the expectations of critics. Holding the annual event has tested both our creativity and our endurance, to such an extent that we have increasingly departed from the more traditionally approach to exhibitions. Even though this exhibition was launched as part of Fubon Art Foundation’s wall-less museum initiative, it was extremely challenging to begin with, because it not only challenged real walls in the real world, it also sought to challenge more metaphorical walls in the hearts and minds of viewers. In an effort to realize these imaginings, the display of works at “Very Happy Park” revealed a playful spirit, with all issues relating to environment, form and situation urgent tasks in the curatorial process. We came up with the idea of creating something “fun” as a way of playing down the aspirations to greatness that informs so much art because we believe that greatness comes from moving people and not word of mouth or packaging. Indeed, the long standing idea of displaying art in lofty palaces of culture creates a distance between work and viewer that only ever allows the latter a rough sense of the art viewed. As a result, “Very Happy Park” which has always focused on sharing and making art an integral part of life, has been forced to continually explain itself to the public. Ultimately we discovered that providing something for viewers to seek out on their own, enabled them to experience the intent of the curator first hand. By stimulating their desire to play, this approach also nurtured a sense of interaction and tacit understanding. The combination of offering no deliberate guide to the exhibition or specific lines of movement between displays also made the art much more integral part of the space. Indeed, viewers have to deal with the hustle and bustles of people, cars and natural light, mixed with store music and the smell of food. We found that by thus making art as a more visceral part of life, people suddenly felt freer and more able to engage it in dialogue. What we have worked hard to move away from and highlight can be seen in the rehabilitation and redemption that is an important part of the physical experience of viewers. Whereas art is usually limited to criticism, it is here is impacted by everything that happens during the display period. In this way, participants gain a new understanding of the beauty of life that includes not only street scenes, people and great food, but also exotic encounters with wonderful works of art.

In 2010, “Very Fun Park” contemporary art exhibition offered some guidance to artists in terms of the sort of attitude that should inform their works created under the central motif of the exhibition. On this basis the artists were encouraged to tell “human” stories or to tell stories in a human way, minimizing the need for written discourse. “Gazing Upwards,” the theme chosen for this year’s exhibition, was considered an extension of last year’s “10:10” which sought to give free rein to imagination. Whereas last year “Very Fun Park” encouraged people to face the travails of the day with a smile, this year they were asked to gaze upwards into the vast expanse of the Heavens and reflect on the nature of self. In yet another departure from the past on this occasion a group of contemporary artists worked together and spoke with one voice. What “Very Fun Park” lays out before those who choose to play is a walking map, a collective game, which expands from points to lines to area, as it encompasses a living environment that is very familiar to many of the participants.

Why exactly did we settle on gazing upwards as our central motif? Most of the reasoning can be attributed to the current situation. Right now we face the sense of displacement that comes from seeing what appears to be an economic recovery but at the same time watching unemployment rise, intermittent natural disasters constantly broadcast across the planet by advanced communications devices and China organizing the largest trade fair in the world. We are literally inundated with information we have no time to process that invariably ends up in an overflowing trash can. At the same time, the most popular works of contemporary an overflowing trash can. At the same time, the most popular works of contemporary art sold at auction make it harder and harder to understand truly the definition of value. There are many different things that make us less sanguine about tomorrow. However, the stores visited in eastern Taipei, local community leaders and participating artists seemed to understand perfectly the motif chosen for our exhibition. During initial discussions on the theme, artists from different countries responded very enthusiastically. It was on this basis that “Gazing at the Sky” allowed us to start organizing and mapping out the outline for this year’s “Very Fun Park.”

Even a cursory look at human history shows that mankind has always revered the heavens. Records as far back as antiquity show how the stars were used as directional coordinates and in the process defined man’s relationship with the cosmos. In a very real sense, lifting one’s head to gaze upwards became an act of piety and ritualistic obeisance. The incomprehensible vastness of nature and the insignificance of man taught us to put pride to one side, to temper our exaggerated sense of self and omnipotence. This in turn taught us mankind to be thankful for opportunities to work together. Dr. Chen Chih-fan (Ph.D.) has written: “The significance of thanking the heavens is not to be found in the heavens themselves but rather in the giving of thanks, because gazing upwards is in itself a search for the heights of spiritual meaning. It is also the foundation on which a people establish a sense of mission. But what exactly is the standard for settling down? Finding ourselves on Taiwan in the boundless Pacific Ocean, we seek to leverage our natural conditions in an attempt to transcend our status as a small island-nation. Spiritually, we need a sense of direction and a high degree of guidance, because understanding our status is not the same as accepting the limits it imposes and adjusting our aspirations accordingly.” Technology makes the dream of a flat world come true and it becomes even clearer that the dimensions of our existence in no way confine our outlook or lofty ambition. This is a fact that is evident by the many international awards Taiwan has won.

In addition, gazing upwards is also an extension of perspective, which is to say depending on the position from which we view things, there evolves a respect for cultural diversity and the creation of art is very much the same. Every year “Very Fun Park” holds an exhibition in eastern Taipei, but although the space is the same, different time/space backgrounds and creative media interpretations transform the locations into the inner landscape and emotional world of the artist. They also provides a platform showcasing the infinite possibilities of art and even more importantly imperceptibly encouraging us to respect other points of view. A different perspective also represents different opinions and even facts themselves can look very different depending on the position of the viewer, introducing potential variables to what we might consider irrefutable facts. The logical flexibility of positive thinking provides us with many classical examples when we face difficulties. For example, we now know that the Earth is round, who said there is only one answer in the world?

tive media interpretations transform the locations into the inner landscape and emotional world of the artist. They also provides a platform showcasing the infinite possibilities of art and even more importantly imperceptibly encouraging us to respect other points of view. A different perspective also represents different opinions and even facts themselves can look very different depending on the position of the viewer, introducing potential variables to what we might consider irrefutable facts. The logical flexibility of positive thinking provides us with many classical examples when we face difficulties. For example, we now know that the Earth is round, who said there is only one answer in the world?

Of course gazing at the sky is also about focus and love and this contains within it the stubborn persistence that comes with adoration. In Greek mythology the beautiful young Clytie falls in love with the Sun God Apollo. After fixing her gaze on him for nine days and nine nights without sleep, her feet turn to roots, her body becomes branches and her face is transformed into a flower gazing up at the sun, chasing it in a way that is always stirring. This is also a memorable fable as to the origins of the sunflower. It speaks to the belief that beautiful things add luster and give sustenance to life, and on that note we return to the focus and love so many feel for art. We at Fubon Art Foundation believe that to promote art as part of life bears similarities to the way in which the sunflower gazes up at the sun with something approaching religious faith. It is only with a strong will and the courage to realize ours dream that these exhibitions appear each year. Defined narrowly “Gazing Upwards” literally refers to nothing more than physical posture, but looked at in its broadest sense, it is nothing less than the human soul taking one deep breath and reaching into the unknown, the tacit nature of which we can all understand. Our encounter with art during this exhibition, reminds, inspires and moves, allowing us to put down the heavy load we carry and, as the adrenalin rush subsides, push forward the limits that confine, giving art more freedom and being more accepting in the process. At this point we bow respectfully to the past, in recognition of those brave souls whose creative efforts inspired this exhibition. We gaze upwards with a profound sense of emotion and respect. “Very Fun Park” is in essence a ritualistic expression of respect for the past. Everyone who takes part becomes a dazzling star in the artistic firmament looking out across the galaxy. Alone and isolated they may dim, but together their radiance is eternal, and it is with this message that “Very Fun Park” 2010 truly art lovers everywhere.