Nunu Fine Art New York is pleased to present In the moment (即刻, 無須等待), a group exhibition of six Taiwanese artists born and raised in the 1990s. Representing a new generation, these artists came of age with the pervasive influence of social media and thus create their artwork through a uniquely digital lens. As digital natives, the profound impact of growing up in the social media era over the last decade, with its incessant and instant consumption of information, is not only evident in their work but also serves as a defining characteristic that unites their distinct voices.

Taiwanese artists born and raised in the 1990s experienced a period of rapid technological advancement and drastic societal change. As children, they witnessed young adults actively engaged in movements for democracy, human rights, and free artistic expression. As a result, this generation of Taiwanese artists developed unrestrained and spontaneous worldviews and attitudes. While earlier artists focused on themes of human interaction and history, the new practitioners emphasize introspection and individuality.

At a time when digital media permeates both our lives and the visual arts, these young painters operate at the intersection of digital innovation and traditional artistic expression. Through their multifaceted and dynamic visual senses, they reflect on the immediacy and complexity of today’s society.

Digital media dominating our visual environment has become predominant in our daily life. Technological components such as screenshots, geotags, short videos, and layers of filters are phenomena that younger contemporary artists crave to address and at times to strip away.​
If societies are suffering from what Korean-German philosopher Byung-Chul Han calls "the violence of transparency," aiming to eradicate all incommensurability and uniqueness, then perhaps the works of the six artists presented in this exhibition can be seen as positions of resistance against such transparency. The participating artists were born in the 90s in Taiwan and they have developed their styles in the past decade. In contrast to previous generations, this group of painters that are aged between 25-35 years old, convey more free, relaxed, and spontaneous world views and painting attitudes.
​Their works can be seen as opaque layers within a transparent society. With highly fluid visual senses, they usher in the message of their generation, which is to be in the moment.

(Ching-Wen Chang, curator of the exhibition)

The exhibition showcases a diverse range of paintings, each informed by the artist’s take contemporary culture. Qi-Heng Xiao reminds us that technology such as Google Maps lacks the emotional warmth and depth of human interaction and the experience of connecting with a place. Guan-Hong Lu addresses everyday absurdity in calm and understated tones. With assertive brushstrokes, Chiao-Han Chueh creates vibrant compositions that radiate eccentricity. Underneath Guan-Jhen Wang’s firm and decisive painterly gestures lies the desire for compassion and real human connection. Fu Ning, depicting endless layers of screens, exposes the obsessiveness of repetitive scrolling and surfing. Bing-Ao Li defies conventional visual language by mixing layers of fictional narratives with reality.

These artists navigate an ever-evolving world, articulating their individual experiences while at the same time offering insights into their generation’s outlook on life. The exhibition highlights the dangers and rewards of the fast-paced, digitally mediated world we live in.

Ching-Wen Chang is an art critic, curator, and Associate Professor at the Department of Arts and Design, National Tsing Hua University. Her academic interest lies in Taiwanese art history. In recent years, her practice has engaged in studying the “Taiwanese-ness” in contemporary art and the construction of locally informed theories, through which she explores how the uniqueness of Taiwan-related experiences is embodied in art production, with a special emphasis on the relationship between cultural policy and contemporary art since the 1980s. Chang is a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA). Between 2004 and 2010, she was an Executive Editor at Artist. Her recent curatorial projects include Painting: the nature of presence (2023) and Cosmos comsol (2022). Her writing was published in various art magazines and journals, including Artist and Modern Art.