Walking Grass Agriculture X Queer Kitchen day 5

Walking Grass Agriculture: Queer Kitchen
The Taiwanese art collective Walking Grass Agriculture: Han-sheng Chen and Hsing-yu Liu, who both come from farming families, integrate geography, field studies, and material culture research, transforming their agricultural experiences into a unique artistic methodology. They seek to examine the role of traditional argiculture in the highly-industrialized society.
Translate their research through the mediums of prints, kinectic installation, ceremics and photography.
In recent years, their focus has expanded to include ecological concerns, urban transformation, and gender issues; such as the practices of urban farming, caretaking of aging farmers living in rural mountainous areas and contemporary art of gender issues.
The collective hails from Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s largest port city, whose urban development, industrial landscapes, and diverse culture have much in common with Rotterdam. The collaboration between Walking Grass Agriculture and WORM Rotterdam is an organic coming together of principles, curiosities, and investigative nature.
Liu Hsing-Yu
Liu Hsing-Yu is an enthusiastic follower of the first-generation Pokémon and Cardcaptor Sakura. Born in Kaohsiung in 1985, Liu received his MFA degree from the National Kaohsiung Normal University. After he earned the honourable mention in the 2018 Taipei Arts Awards, he was invited in 2019 to participate in the “Cosmopolis #2: Rethinking the Human” curated by the Centre Pompidou. Working as an art critic, curator, artist, and the founder of the Walking Grass Agriculture, Liu has perennial interest in gender, farming, and environmental issues. The exhibitions he has curated include the "Survival of the Exceptional"(2020, Tainan Taiwan), “Attachment-Detachment: The fluxes of subjects and objects” Hong Kong＆Taiwan Art Exchange Exhibition” in Cattle Depot Artists Village.（2017）“The philosophy of disclosure” at Digiark, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts（2017）“Lifetime Warranty – The Romance of Home Appliances “ at Taipei Digital Art Center（2018）
Han-Sheng, Chen
Born in 1988, Kaohsiung (Taiwan), and graduated from Taipei National University of Arts. Currently a Dierctor of the TAIPEI ArtCreator Trade Union, and a Curator of Walking Grass Agriculture. He works with experimental animation and mixed media kinetic installations, incorporating his own background and identity. His themes often include agriculture, nature and the coexistence of human beings with our environment. His works have garnered many positive responses, silver medal in the Taipei Arts Award, Honorable mention in Tokyo Art Olympia, including the first prize of Next Art Tainan, silver medal in the MATA prize, selected for the Taoyuan Contemporary Arts Award ,the Digital art award Taipei, National Art Exhibtion ROC and the Shenzhen Independent Animation Biennale. Once Residency in C-lab creators, China Art35, The PIER-2 Art Center, Bangkok Tentacles, Chiang Mai Ne’-Na Contemporary Art Space, Bamboo Curtain Studio. Works have been exhibited in France Centre Pompidou, Bangkok Biennial, Spain Esplugues Angelina Alós 19th, Italy POP UP MINIARTEXTIL.
In September 2024, the collective will participate in a one-month residency in S/ash Gallery at WORM Rotterdam.
WORM serves as a productive soil for the seeds of this cultural exchange of sailors, pirates and inherent farmers to break in a new artistic playground to explore the personal and familial aspects within the grand narratives of colonisalism and migration.
We invite you to dock by on our packed September celebration, to start the new cultural season together and harvest the fruits of their labour.
Han-sheng and Hsing-yu are researching the post-colonial discourse on exchanging goods with a focus on plants and objects.
The **Walking Grass Agriculture ** collective is collaborating with organisations like Limestone Books Maastricht, Ook Huis and De Garage by hosting workshops and cooking sessions.
Besides organisations, the collective is also working together with local Rotterdam artists Benjamin Li and Pascalle de Jager to blend their practices, mix mediums and perspectives in collective works. The final outcome of this residency will culminate into an exhibition, curated by Rotterdam-based Taiwanese curator Yen-ting Kuan ***opening on the 25th of September 2024 at 15:00! ***
Keep an eye on our Instagram page to stay updated!
Read more about the artists and participants:
Read this article by Florian Cramer on Han-sheng Chen and Hsing-yu Liu here!
More information about Walking Grass Agriculture
See more of Benjamin Li’s work
See more of Pascalle de Jager’s work
Check out Yen-ting Kuan’s cultural practice
!!The Walking Grass Agriculture Residency is part of our 25 WORM celebration!!
Read more about WORM 25