Musquiqui Chihying: A Life of Navigation at Hayward Gallery
Artist Musquiqui Chihying Holds Solo Exhibition at the UK's Hayward Gallery, Responding to Human Life Under Technological Change with Taiwanese Humour.
In collaboration with the Hayward Gallery at London's Southbank Centre, the Cultural Division of Taipei Representative Office in the UK is presenting Taiwanese artist Musquiqui Chihying's solo exhibition Musquiqui Chihying: A Life of Navigation at the gallery's HENI Project Space from 25 August to 18 October. This marks Chihying's first solo exhibition at a UK public arts institution, featuring four artworks spanning video, photography, and installation art. Ranging from early observations of urban life to recent reflections on artificial intelligence, gaming culture, and digital labour, the exhibition responds to how technology changes people's lives and social relations through a humorous and critical lens.
Currently based in Taipei and Berlin, Chihying has long focused on issues such as technological development, post-colonial experiences, identity, and the Global South through moving image, sound, music, and installation. Using humorous and absurd narratives, he re-examines the relationship between humans, technology, and the environment in contemporary society. His works have been exhibited at international arts institutions including Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Germany, the Migros Museum of Contemporary Art in Switzerland, Art Sonje Center in South Korea, and the Centre Pompidou in France. He was also awarded the LOOP Video Art Award in Spain in 2019 and the grand prize at Taiwan's Tong Chong Art Award in 2023.
This solo exhibition is held at the Hayward Gallery's HENI Project Space, which has a long history of introducing emerging and international artists to UK audiences. Through four artworks, it presents the creative trajectory of Chihying across different stages. These include Jogging, a video work responding to urban life through seemingly absurd physical behaviours; Toyota, which combines inflatable installations and photography, starting from an old car carrying family memories to respond to urban and mobility experiences; an extended creation of The Label, which explores AI technology and data labelling through the navigation systems used by taxi drivers; and The Player, a brand-new work focusing on Nigerian game power-levelling workers. From urban life and transport to AI and digital labour, the four works collectively respond to how people find their direction and readapt to new ways of life in a rapidly changing technological environment.
Chihying points out, "The subject matter of these works may seem vastly different, but they all revolve around how people face a constantly changing environment." Whether starting from urban life, transport, artificial intelligence, or digital labour, people are always seeking direction and continuously learning how to coexist with new systems. Chihying also hopes that while reflecting on issues of technology and labour, UK audiences can experience the slightly absurd yet earnest Taiwanese humour within the works.
The Cultural Division stated that the Hayward Gallery is a significant contemporary visual arts institution in the UK, having previously exhibited works by Taiwanese artists such as Yuan Goang-Ming and Lai Chih-Sheng. In recent years, the Cultural Division has continued its partnership with the gallery to introduce Taiwanese contemporary art to British audiences in various formats. This includes inviting Michael Lin to create an installation for the gallery's public space in 2023 and featuring Aluaiy Pulidan in a special exhibition; in 2024 and 2025, they collaborated to present solo exhibitions by Huang Po-Chih and Val Lee, respectively. This year, Musquiqui Chihying takes the baton at the HENI Project Space. Through this long-term collaboration with a major UK arts institution, more Taiwanese artists from different generations and with diverse creative profiles are brought into the British contemporary art spotlight, continuing to raise the visibility of Taiwanese contemporary art in the UK.
For the detail of exhibition please visit:
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/musquiqui-chihying-a-life-of-navigation/
藝術家致穎英國海沃德美術館舉辦個展 以臺式幽默回應科技變動下的人與生活
文化部駐英國代表處文化組與倫敦南岸藝術中心海沃德美術館合作，於8月25日至10月18日在美術館HENI計畫空間（HENI Project Space）推出臺灣藝術家致穎個展「致穎：錨定海海人生」（Musquiqui Chihying:A Life of Navigation）。這是致穎首次在英國公共藝術機構舉辦個展，展出4件橫跨影像、攝影與裝置藝術作品，從早期對都市生活的觀察，到近年對人工智慧、遊戲文化及數位勞動的思考，以幽默而帶有批判性的視角回應科技如何改變人們的生活與社會關係。
致穎目前以臺北及柏林為創作據點，長期透過動態影像、聲音、音樂及裝置等形式，關注科技發展、後殖民經驗、身分及全球南方等議題，並以帶有幽默與荒誕感的敘事方式，重新觀看當代社會中人與科技、環境之間的關係。他的作品曾於德國世界文化宮、瑞士米格羅當代藝術博物館、韓國善宰藝術中心、法國龐畢度中心等國際藝術機構展出，並曾獲2019年西班牙LOOP錄像藝術獎及2023年臺灣銅鐘藝術賞首獎。
此次個展於海沃德美術館HENI計畫空間展出，HENI計畫空間長期向英國觀眾介紹新銳及國際藝術家，透過4件作品呈現致穎不同階段的創作脈絡，包括以看似荒謬的身體行為回應都市生活的影像作品《慢跑》；結合充氣裝置與攝影、從一輛承載家庭記憶的老車出發，回應城市與移動經驗的《豐田》；從計程車司機使用的導航系統切入，探討人工智慧技術與資料標註的《標註》延伸創作；以及以奈及利亞遊戲代練工作者為題的全新作品《玩家》。從城市生活、交通、人工智慧到數位勞動，4件作品共同回應人在快速變動的科技環境中，如何尋找方向並重新適應新的生活方式。
致穎指出，「這些作品的題材看似差異很大，其實都圍繞著人們如何面對不斷改變的環境」。不論從城市生活、交通工具、人工智慧或數位勞動出發，人們始終在尋找方向，也持續學習如何與新的系統相處。致穎也希望英國觀眾在思考科技與勞動議題的同時，能感受到作品中略帶荒誕、卻又認真的臺式幽默。
駐英國代表處文化組表示，海沃德美術館是英國重要的當代視覺藝術機構，過去曾展出袁廣鳴、賴志盛等臺灣藝術家作品。近年文化組也持續與海沃德美術館合作，透過不同形式向英國觀眾介紹臺灣當代藝術，包括2023年邀請林明弘為館內公共空間創作裝置作品，並邀請武玉玲參與美術館特展；2024年及2025年則分別合作推出黃博志與李奧森個展。今年再由致穎接續於HENI計畫空間展出，透過與英國重要藝術機構的長期合作，讓更多不同世代及創作面貌的臺灣藝術家進入英國當代藝術視野，持續提升臺灣當代藝術在英國的能見度。
【展覽資訊】
時間：2026年8月26日至10月18日
地點：HENI Project Space,Hayward Gallery
官網：https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/musquiqui-chihying-a-life-of-navigation/
