Department of Cultural Affairs

Contemporary Art Collides with Puppetry, Tradition as a Work in Progress

“Three glimpses of light” is a term given to a puppetry ritual that begins from 11 pm to 1 am and consists of three plays that are performed until 5 am to 7 am. “Day and night” extrapolates from this idea. In the contrast between day and night, the curatorial team marks the difference between south and north, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, auspicious celebration and exorcism, live performance and documentation, tradition and innovation. The exhibition is divided into sections covering aspects such as Zhangzhou and Quanzhou puppetry, textual characters, ritual incantations, and material structures, allowing the audience to appreciate puppets up close.

Curation for this exhibition is courtesy of Walking Grass Agriculture, who embody the spirit of “cultivating through farming and entering art through farming”. Drawing inspiration from agricultural life and integrating it with contemporary art, this approach aligns with a puppetry tradition rooted in agricultural society, and the spiritual practices of folk beliefs and rituals of exorcism.