In June, 2002, I co-founded G8 Public Relationship and Consultation Art Corp. with Hsu Huan, Wu Yua-Jiao, Yeh Yu-Nan and Lu Hao-Yuan. We promoted ourselves as experts of integrated art services, including the creation and marketing of artworks, art collector’s collection and investment, art event planning for government agencies or corporations, and event execution and fundraising. Yet in reality, we were really trying to execute a project called “Once Upon a Time in Taiwan” with our PR company. We were trying to select a “ready being and behaviors” outside the realm of art, knowledge, and mainstream. We wanted to collect information, rewrite, package, present, and market the ready being into the market of fine arts (art criticism, art market, and art history).
Our first ready being was Ke Tsi-Hai, a controversial figure often present at news scenes in Taiwan. Ke always holds signs in his hands while standing behind whoever is being interviewed on TV to gain attention at news scenes. He became a well-known figure in Taiwan as a result of his behaviors. Furthermore, Ke even became an advocate for the disadvantaged and those who have suffered from injustice. Ke often protests about the condition and policies of stray dogs, and even became a “spokesperson” for stray dogs. It is said that Ke spends more than NTD4 million on feeding stray dogs every month. His wealth also caught the attention of the general public. According to news reports, Ke owns more then two hundred houses, and makes more than NTD20 million monthly through rent income. Ke also owns mansions on Yangming Mountain, yet uses his mansion as a shelter for stray dogs. For quite awhile, Ke stayed alone at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. At NTD10,000 per night, Ke spent NTD300,000 on accommodation monthly. These stories go to show that the Ke Tsi-Hai phenomenon is both legendary and dramatic.
In the minds of most Taiwanese, Ke’s image underwent a huge transformation. In the beginning, most saw him as bizarre, obnoxious, annoying, and freakish. Later on, some began to see him in a different light - as a hero, knight, idol, or a tough guy. In the end, with the media no longer reporting about Ke, and with him being prosecuted, Ke became a despised figure. The rise and fall of Ke’s public image has everything to do with the media. The media idealized him, used him, and turned him into an attraction. As a result, Ke became interested in running for public office. However, it was also the media that brought about Ke’s destruction. The power of the media combined with those who Ke offended while he protested led to the prosecutor finally detaining Ke for fraud. According to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, Ke was charged for offenses of fraud, extortion, larceny, forging documents, etc. So just overnight, Ke had once again become a notorious character in Taiwan. The rise and fall of Ke is yet another legend in Taiwan.
G8 curated the “Ke Tsi-Hai Solo Exhibition” at the end of 2002. In 2004, G8 held Ke’s first overseas solo exhibition. Three projects were displayed in the “Ke Tsi-Hai Solo Exhibition”, namely, “Jamming Communication Project”, “Cantonese-style Barbecue Project”, and “Text Message Project”.
I often see people, events, or historical events in life that bear the potential or have the possibility of becoming conceptual art. The reason that they do not become so is because many are not aware of the fact that what they do could be considered as art. Furthermore, they are neither artists nor have a background in art, and therefore no one is willing to perceive what they do as art. In contrast, some G8 members are artists with the knowledge and ability to create art documents. Therefore, we transformed figures and events into artists and text, so that people could read deeper into them. Sometimes, it does not matter who was the actual artist, or whether an event really happened or not. If reality does not seem good enough, we change it and make it better. This is because art documents are not aimed at providing historical evidence, but exist as a kind of language, with their artistic value being more important. Art and the knowledge of art were originally the process of shaping meaning and value. However, elites as well as the media have long monopolized the cultural industry. Against this backdrop, G8 has brought into the art scene a service-industry perspective, and also spread the knowledge and skill of art to the general public, providing them opportunities to become involved and to shape meaning and value. Under those circumstances, if we are able to become aware of the fact that cultural context was never fair or transparent, then perhaps the cycle of “creation → display → critic → collection → history” will not be merely dominated by only a few. The dream of art becoming democratized or popularized will not be as distant.
《四海英雄》系列
2002年6月我與徐緩、吳月嬌、葉育男、呂浩元成立了G8藝術公關顧問公司，對外宣稱公司的專長業務是提供藝術相關的整合性服務，它們包括：藝術家的創作與行銷、收藏家的投資收藏、政府或民間機構相關藝術活動的策劃、執行與募款等服務。但事實上我們是想以公關顧問公司之名來創作一件叫〈四海英雄〉的計劃案，挑選某些非藝術領域、非知識系統、非主流意識型態的「現成人物和行為」，透過我們的收集記錄、改寫、包裝、呈現、詮釋，行銷到精緻藝術的領域裡（藝術評論、藝術市場、藝術史）。
G8公司首先推出的藝術家是柯賜海。柯賜海，是一位曾經經常出現在台灣電視新聞現場的爭議性人物。他因為經常站在新聞當事人後面與焦點案件的現場舉牌插花抗議，藉著新聞媒體的報導，成為台灣全國性的知名人物，甚至最後成為弱勢民眾申訴冤屈與不平的代理人。柯賜海申訴抗議的主題經常與流浪狗的處境與政策有關，一度他儼然成為流浪狗的代言人，據稱他每月花在餵養流浪狗的費用約是新台幣四百多萬元。他的富有也十分引人側目，據報導全國他有二百多間的房子放租，月入租金新台幣二千多萬元。在陽明山擁有豪宅卻用來收養流浪狗的他，曾經一個人長住在台北凱悅大飯店，如果以一日一萬元的花費計算，光是一個月的旅館費就是新台幣三十萬元之譜。凡此種種的柯賜海現象毫無疑問是充滿傳奇與戲劇性的。
在多數台灣人心中，柯賜海形象的轉折很多很大，從令人感到荒唐、無聊、討厭、怪旦，到後來逐漸滲入英雄、俠士、偶像、硬漢等矛盾形象，最後在媒體的聯合封鎖與檢察官的逮捕起訴下，他又成為眾人厭惡與鄙視的對象。柯賜海的崛起和公共形象的轉折是與媒體互為因果的，媒體捧他、利用他、奇觀化他，因此後來他對競選公職顯出相當的興趣與準備。但最後欲意毀滅他的也是媒體，加上抗議過程中他經常得罪各方人士，檢調單位終於以涉及常業詐欺罪嫌將他拘捕。據台北地檢署說，柯賜海涉及詐欺、恐嚇、竊佔、偽造文書等多項犯罪事證，結果一夕之間，他又給人留下惡名昭彰之徒的印象。柯賜海的起落與現象，本身就是不可思議的台灣傳奇。
G8在2002年底成功地為他在台北舉辦了《柯賜海個展》，2004年又執行了他在海外的第一次展覽。《柯賜海個展》中有三件作品，分別是：〈訊爆計劃〉、〈燒臘計劃〉及〈簡訊計劃〉。
我經常看到有一些社會上的人、事，或者歷史上的事件，非常具有觀念或行為藝術的品質與可能性，這些人或事件沒辦法成為藝術的原因，是因為他們對自己做的事情沒有藝術創作的自覺，另外他們也不具有藝術家的身份及履歷，所以也沒有人願意用美學的觀點來審視。G8公司的成員具有藝術家的身份，又有製造藝術文件的知識與能力，於是將現成的人與事件轉換成作者與文本，讓大家來閱讀。是誰做的與有沒有發生過都不重要，如果事實不夠完美，我們就將它改得更完美，因為藝術文件的目的不是要提供歷史證據，它是一種語言的存在，其藝術性的卓越與否才是重點。藝術與藝術的知識原本就是一個捏塑意義與價值的過程，然而長久以來文化工業一直被少數的知識菁英與傳媒壟斷，G8 公司為文化工業界注入服務業的觀點與作法後，將藝術的知識與技能釋出給普羅大眾，提供大眾參與捏塑意義與價值的機會。果真如此，我們如果能自覺文化語境的公正與透明從來不曾存在過，藝術或許不再只是少數人「製造 → 展示 → 評論 → 收藏 → 歷史」的過程，而藝術民主化的理想也將不再遙遠。
Our first ready being was Ke Tsi-Hai, a controversial figure often present at news scenes in Taiwan. Ke always holds signs in his hands while standing behind whoever is being interviewed on TV to gain attention at news scenes. He became a well-known figure in Taiwan as a result of his behaviors. Furthermore, Ke even became an advocate for the disadvantaged and those who have suffered from injustice. Ke often protests about the condition and policies of stray dogs, and even became a “spokesperson” for stray dogs. It is said that Ke spends more than NTD4 million on feeding stray dogs every month. His wealth also caught the attention of the general public. According to news reports, Ke owns more then two hundred houses, and makes more than NTD20 million monthly through rent income. Ke also owns mansions on Yangming Mountain, yet uses his mansion as a shelter for stray dogs. For quite awhile, Ke stayed alone at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. At NTD10,000 per night, Ke spent NTD300,000 on accommodation monthly. These stories go to show that the Ke Tsi-Hai phenomenon is both legendary and dramatic.
In the minds of most Taiwanese, Ke’s image underwent a huge transformation. In the beginning, most saw him as bizarre, obnoxious, annoying, and freakish. Later on, some began to see him in a different light - as a hero, knight, idol, or a tough guy. In the end, with the media no longer reporting about Ke, and with him being prosecuted, Ke became a despised figure. The rise and fall of Ke’s public image has everything to do with the media. The media idealized him, used him, and turned him into an attraction. As a result, Ke became interested in running for public office. However, it was also the media that brought about Ke’s destruction. The power of the media combined with those who Ke offended while he protested led to the prosecutor finally detaining Ke for fraud. According to the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, Ke was charged for offenses of fraud, extortion, larceny, forging documents, etc. So just overnight, Ke had once again become a notorious character in Taiwan. The rise and fall of Ke is yet another legend in Taiwan.
G8 curated the “Ke Tsi-Hai Solo Exhibition” at the end of 2002. In 2004, G8 held Ke’s first overseas solo exhibition. Three projects were displayed in the “Ke Tsi-Hai Solo Exhibition”, namely, “Jamming Communication Project”, “Cantonese-style Barbecue Project”, and “Text Message Project”.
I often see people, events, or historical events in life that bear the potential or have the possibility of becoming conceptual art. The reason that they do not become so is because many are not aware of the fact that what they do could be considered as art. Furthermore, they are neither artists nor have a background in art, and therefore no one is willing to perceive what they do as art. In contrast, some G8 members are artists with the knowledge and ability to create art documents. Therefore, we transformed figures and events into artists and text, so that people could read deeper into them. Sometimes, it does not matter who was the actual artist, or whether an event really happened or not. If reality does not seem good enough, we change it and make it better. This is because art documents are not aimed at providing historical evidence, but exist as a kind of language, with their artistic value being more important. Art and the knowledge of art were originally the process of shaping meaning and value. However, elites as well as the media have long monopolized the cultural industry. Against this backdrop, G8 has brought into the art scene a service-industry perspective, and also spread the knowledge and skill of art to the general public, providing them opportunities to become involved and to shape meaning and value. Under those circumstances, if we are able to become aware of the fact that cultural context was never fair or transparent, then perhaps the cycle of “creation → display → critic → collection → history” will not be merely dominated by only a few. The dream of art becoming democratized or popularized will not be as distant.
《四海英雄》系列
2002年6月我與徐緩、吳月嬌、葉育男、呂浩元成立了G8藝術公關顧問公司，對外宣稱公司的專長業務是提供藝術相關的整合性服務，它們包括：藝術家的創作與行銷、收藏家的投資收藏、政府或民間機構相關藝術活動的策劃、執行與募款等服務。但事實上我們是想以公關顧問公司之名來創作一件叫〈四海英雄〉的計劃案，挑選某些非藝術領域、非知識系統、非主流意識型態的「現成人物和行為」，透過我們的收集記錄、改寫、包裝、呈現、詮釋，行銷到精緻藝術的領域裡（藝術評論、藝術市場、藝術史）。
G8公司首先推出的藝術家是柯賜海。柯賜海，是一位曾經經常出現在台灣電視新聞現場的爭議性人物。他因為經常站在新聞當事人後面與焦點案件的現場舉牌插花抗議，藉著新聞媒體的報導，成為台灣全國性的知名人物，甚至最後成為弱勢民眾申訴冤屈與不平的代理人。柯賜海申訴抗議的主題經常與流浪狗的處境與政策有關，一度他儼然成為流浪狗的代言人，據稱他每月花在餵養流浪狗的費用約是新台幣四百多萬元。他的富有也十分引人側目，據報導全國他有二百多間的房子放租，月入租金新台幣二千多萬元。在陽明山擁有豪宅卻用來收養流浪狗的他，曾經一個人長住在台北凱悅大飯店，如果以一日一萬元的花費計算，光是一個月的旅館費就是新台幣三十萬元之譜。凡此種種的柯賜海現象毫無疑問是充滿傳奇與戲劇性的。
在多數台灣人心中，柯賜海形象的轉折很多很大，從令人感到荒唐、無聊、討厭、怪旦，到後來逐漸滲入英雄、俠士、偶像、硬漢等矛盾形象，最後在媒體的聯合封鎖與檢察官的逮捕起訴下，他又成為眾人厭惡與鄙視的對象。柯賜海的崛起和公共形象的轉折是與媒體互為因果的，媒體捧他、利用他、奇觀化他，因此後來他對競選公職顯出相當的興趣與準備。但最後欲意毀滅他的也是媒體，加上抗議過程中他經常得罪各方人士，檢調單位終於以涉及常業詐欺罪嫌將他拘捕。據台北地檢署說，柯賜海涉及詐欺、恐嚇、竊佔、偽造文書等多項犯罪事證，結果一夕之間，他又給人留下惡名昭彰之徒的印象。柯賜海的起落與現象，本身就是不可思議的台灣傳奇。
G8在2002年底成功地為他在台北舉辦了《柯賜海個展》，2004年又執行了他在海外的第一次展覽。《柯賜海個展》中有三件作品，分別是：〈訊爆計劃〉、〈燒臘計劃〉及〈簡訊計劃〉。
我經常看到有一些社會上的人、事，或者歷史上的事件，非常具有觀念或行為藝術的品質與可能性，這些人或事件沒辦法成為藝術的原因，是因為他們對自己做的事情沒有藝術創作的自覺，另外他們也不具有藝術家的身份及履歷，所以也沒有人願意用美學的觀點來審視。G8公司的成員具有藝術家的身份，又有製造藝術文件的知識與能力，於是將現成的人與事件轉換成作者與文本，讓大家來閱讀。是誰做的與有沒有發生過都不重要，如果事實不夠完美，我們就將它改得更完美，因為藝術文件的目的不是要提供歷史證據，它是一種語言的存在，其藝術性的卓越與否才是重點。藝術與藝術的知識原本就是一個捏塑意義與價值的過程，然而長久以來文化工業一直被少數的知識菁英與傳媒壟斷，G8 公司為文化工業界注入服務業的觀點與作法後，將藝術的知識與技能釋出給普羅大眾，提供大眾參與捏塑意義與價值的機會。果真如此，我們如果能自覺文化語境的公正與透明從來不曾存在過，藝術或許不再只是少數人「製造 → 展示 → 評論 → 收藏 → 歷史」的過程，而藝術民主化的理想也將不再遙遠。
