Following female artists across the decades, this multi-medium exhibition is timeless, moving and therefore very necessary.

• By Hollie Younger / Contributing journalist

The room glows bright pink, the floor is flooded with hundreds of little pink marbles. As I approach the two chairs and a sumptuous baroque sofa in matching fuchsia, what appears at first glance to be a scene of domestic bliss turns out to be anything but gnarled metal nails and sharp points protruding from the cushions. A strange silhouette of a woman recedes into the armrest.

This multimedia installation captures generations of female angst in Yun Suknam’s native South Korea, reflecting her observations and lived experience as a subjugated and helpful housewife. The marbles are the sweat and tears of the mother, while the chairs are the symbol of the passivity of the housewife.

This is a poignant introduction to Enclave: An Autobiography (飛地：一部自傳的誕生), the latest exhibition at the Taipei Museum of Fine Arts. Each exhibition explores the many facets of the female experience, an audiovisual journey into the inner lives of women, their darkest thoughts and wildest dreams. Through December 15, the exhibition features 28 female artists in a 112-piece collection spanning seven decades and comprised of paintings, sketches, videos and a commissioned biographical novel about their lives.

Photo: Hollie Younger

From an artistic interpretation of the 1969 book Little Women to today’s Taiwanese millennials questioning the construct of marriage, the works address a myriad of themes, including the division of labor, gender equality and self-identity.

“The Enclave reveals how female artists created space for creativity amid multiple identities and responsibilities,” says curator Kat Siao (蕭琳蓁).

The exhibition takes place in three sections. Window — Quotidian Realities explores the boundary between home and the outside world, illustrated by Yun’s complex and disturbing installation.

Photo: Hollie Younger

Time Passes – Awareness in Changes chronicles the personal reflections of women throughout the joys and vicissitudes of life. For example, Between Stops (似停非停, 1997) by Chen Hui-chiao (陳慧嶠) features hundreds of tightly compressed white feathers in a glass case to symbolize his feelings of confinement and limitation.

The Lighthouse – Symbol and Pursuit looks outward, exploring politics, the environment, social structures and collective trauma. As the most dynamic and interactive segment, it invites viewers to immerse themselves in visual storytelling. Crashing waves are projected onto a wall in one part of the room, while in another part visitors sit on beanbags with headphones under a staircase and watch a short film projected on the inclined wall.

This section features Marriage Crisis (婚姻危機, 2012) by Huang Hai-hsin (黃海欣), which depicts the bride and groom with their wedding cake on fire while the guests choke on the fumes at the couple’s feet. The oil painting explores marriage as both a societal expectation and a personal choice, reflecting the dilemmas faced by young Taiwanese women.

Photo: Hollie Younger

Huang says seeing his work evokes “the intense frustration and self-doubt I felt over a decade ago. Yet in the midst of the turmoil, I also see a strength and resilience that I did not fully appreciate at the time.”

‘THE TREASURE BOX’

Photo: Hollie Younger

Siao commissioned artist Kuo Yu-ping (郭俞平) to write a short novel, The Treasure Box (珍藏盒), the only new work featured in the exhibition. Visitors can read the short story on chairs and cushions in an otherwise unused staircase suspended above the ground floor of the exhibit, which he has dubbed The Study Project.

“While preparing the exhibition, we were deeply touched by the artists’ life experiences. Our goal was to not only showcase their work, but also convey that feeling of connection,” she says.

Reflecting on the experience of the exhibition, Kuo says that in writing her novel, she had to travel back in time, to Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule and to the postwar period, from Paris in the aftermath of the Second World War. World War in rural Switzerland.

Photo: Hollie Younger

The story gets to the heart of this exhibition’s message: “how, within the confines of their particular times, these women pursued their dreams of personal fulfillment,” Kuo explains.

Reading the program – and, for Chinese readers, the novel – brings greater clarity and understanding to otherwise unexplained or, in my opinion, under-explained works. Many are more abstract or surreal, their inspiration or stories easily overlooked. Then again, perhaps that’s the point, because it’s perfectly emblematic of a woman’s inner world – complex, misunderstood and too often overlooked.

“It’s a testament to the enduring nature of human expression and the timeless quality of great art,” Huang says.

Photo: Hollie Younger