台灣原住民藝術：當代與原始的對話

Abstract

My study will first concern itself with defining 'Primitive Art,' 'Indigenous Art,' and 'Contemporary Indigenous Art.' Secondly, it seeks to explore some underlying issues embedded in the concepts of primitive art, ethnographic handicraft, and models for creating aesthetic representation, each presented by the indigenous artists. The essay also calls in question the 'modernity' in contemporary or 'modern' indigenous art, its truth challenged by diverse critical factions. Finally, it examines the efforts and achievements of the artists in their attempt to incorporate the mainstream societal values progressively. Put another way, it looks into the extent to which the ethnic identity and cultural difference are articulated in Taiwanese indigenous art, in contrast to their Western counterpart.

It is worth noting as well that the contemporary indigenous art exposes a homogenizing nostalgia for the return of the lost pristine state. Rather than presenting itself as a radical break with the past, their work often harkened back to more distant and presumably more authentic origins. The 'modem' was thus often justified as the more 'authentic' to the traditional ethnic values.