During his first Taipei solo show in March, artist Jason Cole Mager exhibited a piece where, for the first time, he used humor to address his usually serious themes exploring Taiwan’s politics and complex history. Titled Cultural Colonization, Have a Nice Day, it depicted repeating symbols of the Japanese rising sun juxtaposed with the logo for the Japanese-owned 7-Eleven.
Based on this single work, Mager has created 23 new pieces for his latest exhibition, “Culture, Company & Consummation” (結·地·企) at Taipei’s Shalon Shalom (你好沙龍). He will discuss his work at the space tomorrow with Kenneth Lin (林志鴻), chief editor of Art Collection + Design magazine.
Having lived in Taiwan for nearly a decade, Mager’s work has become increasingly personal and embracing of local culture, this time incorporating the colorful floral cloth now known as “Hakka fabric” — as his wife is part-Hakka.
Photo courtesy of Jason Cole Mager
Her stories of this fabric being used for bedding, curtains and tablecloths and its eventual wear and tear inspire several paintings that appear to be bleached, creating a painterly space, Mager says. He adds that these works do not necessarily inform the viewer of their source, but encourage discourse as the fabric’s familiarity and alteration raise questions.
Other paintings directly expand on the 7-Eleven theme — one image uses the Chinese characters for “seven” and “eleven,” as Mager questions why the logo, ubiquitous in Asia, is not made to be read by the local community. Another replaces the seven with an eight and the eleven with the word “lucky,” a nod to the local superstition surrounding the number.
-Artist talk tomorrow at 7pm at Shalom Shalom, 3, Ln 165, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市新生南路一段165巷3號)
Photo courtesy of Jason Cole Mager
-Exhibition runs until Nov. 5
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