SHIH Yung Chun, Forbidden Love

Growing up in a village near a military base during Taiwan’s period of economic revival, SHIH Yung Chun is an artist who expresses empathy toward those discarded and replaced amid the rapid currents of modernization. His work begins with objects that evoke his own childhood—such as product packaging from the 1980s, clippings from newspapers and magazines, and other nostalgic fragments of the past. In this exhibition, he brings old toys into the realm of puppet theatre. Seven miniature stages depict seven distinct scenes—kitchen, hallway, bedroom, street, bar, performance stage, and living room—where the toys take on the roles of actors. The artist’s intention is to create unexpected relationships by placing toys originating from different times and contexts onto the same stage. These unlikely encounters, in turn, generate unexpected emotions. Beneath depictions of maternal bonds, romantic affection, friendship, and passion for dreams lie the ironies of betrayal, competition, and desire. Perhaps this exhibition is yet another manifestation of SHIH Yung Chun’s enduring sense of compassion—an exploration of the uneasy emotions that have long been overlooked behind the beautiful façade of love.