Taipei exhibition investigates evolutionary biology through lens of queerness

台北展覽透過酷兒視角研究演化生物學

Exhibition presents visitors with displays highlighting ‘queerness’ of natural world


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Museum of National Taipei University of Education (MoNTUE) on July 22 opened its current exhibition "Co-becoming(s)" to the public.

The exhibition features eleven contemporary artists from Taiwan offering an alternative perspective on inter-species relationships. Curator Lin Cheng-Wei aims to employ "endosymbiosis and queer theories – two separate concepts from evolutionary biology and gender theory" in this exhibition, per MoNTUE.

Displays include investigations into political violence, Indigenous culture, and the complex relationship between animals and humans through the lens of science. It?is accompanied by a comprehensive written guide available in Mandarin and English to lead visitors through the exhibition and give insight into the artists’ inner world.

Although the content of each display varies greatly, they all share the same goal of encouraging visitors to reconsider their relationship with the natural world.

Recent reports of unusual weather patterns brought about by climate change, such as the ongoing wildfires in Greece, are a stark reminder of the negative impact humans have had on the environment. This is why it is vital that humans reposition themselves with rather than outside of nature.

Scientific exhibitions can be didactic, looking to educate upon facts, whereas queer art often revolves around the experiences of individuals. This exhibition attempts to break the mould, by encouraging the audience to engage with a range of inter-species relationships and to draw their own conclusions on how they should interpret the complexities of our natural world.

As stated in the exhibition foreword: "In this non-homogenous world informed by queer identities and relations, a practice of co-becoming(s) is waiting to commence."

MoNTUE was founded in 2011 as part of the National Taipei University of Education. It has followed the principle of "Museum Continued" in its exhibitions, which places continuous public participation at the forefront of the museum’s mission, per their website.

Members of the public can visit "Co-becoming(s)" at MoNTUE in Taipei from July 22 to Sept. 17. The exhibition is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding public holidays.