■ .: Artist Statement:.
The initial inspiration of Photography Research Project is sparked by my best friend, alias Tree, who is living with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). Tree tends to believe in humanity and has recovered from betrayal and sorrow several times. Today, medical treatments have helped people infected with HIV have a prolonged life as normal people as well as prevent infection, but can never kill the virus hiding in the gut. Nor will people’s moral condemnation and discrimination against the disease stop. It is often accompanied by mental illness, which even generates greater suffering than the physiological disease itself. Before the “True Cure” is found, patients’ feelings of shame and insecurity will last until no longer will new diseases be misunderstood and stigmatized. 

The project started in September 2017. Later in October the same year, it activated in the Pier-2 Art Center, Kaohsiung. Together with social networking groups, NGOs, and National Health Authorities, we recruit HIV positive individuals to volunteer as the research subjects of study during the project period. In the process of producing, I will take an activator role to conduct in-depth interviews with the research subjects, guiding and seeking most used objects or indispensable items with them and presenting the objects we find with images. The interactions between the research subjects and the objects in the field of daily life are observed in the exhibition as well as text documents of the interviews so as to exhibit lifestyles of HIV positive individuals coming from different social environments and financial conditions. The exhibition is a rendition of the facts that human beings, no matter what field they are in, are actually subject to or exposed to the virus. We are merely human beings and now we are facing an emerging threat.

● 藝術家 Artist／劉仁凱 Kairon Liu
● 協同藝術家 Collaborative Artist／張巧怡 Chiao-Yi Chang
● 客座策展人 Guest Curator／柯皓評 Hubery Ko
● 展期 Exhibition Period／2017.12.16(Sat.)-2018.01.07(Sun.) 13.00-18.00 (Closed on Monday)
● 開幕 Opening／2017.12.16(Sat.)14.00
● 地點 Venue／駁二藝術特區大義區C9倉庫劉仁凱駐村工作室 Dayi Area C9, The Pier-2 Art Center