Art is a way of taking distance. The pathological or therapeutic aspects exist, but just as catalysts.

(Sophie Calle)1

French artist Sophie Calle once said: “Art is a way of maintaining distance. The pathological or therapeutic aspects are present, but they are merely catalysts.” The exhibition, as a meeting ground for “life stories” and “audiences,” is titled Metal odyssey. It combines the imagery of travel—suitcases and the experiences of patients (cases)—through the medical records of the artists and their family members. It delves into the traces of memories in life and reshapes our understanding of intimate familial relationships. The “metal” in the theme symbolizes medical instruments related to illness, and as the authority of these devices grows2, the artwork delves deeper into the evolving relationship between the artist and caregiving. It emphasizes the intermediary role of metal instruments in medical cases while subtly hinting at the creative spark between the artist and curator, much like the traces left by a journey.

This exhibition extends the concept of the classic work Appointment with Sigmund Freud by Sophie Calle, where the author is like a guest invited into Freud’s home. This book provides a fresh inspiration for our exhibition—introducing the concept of “photographic text” and how to create a sense of “anticipation” for the audience. How do the interwoven elements of the exhibition, archives, diaries, and photographs shape the relationship between real space and memory? 3 Metal odyssey creates an atmosphere of welcoming visitors through its display of stories, symbolizing the appointment and anticipation between us and the audience. We sincerely invite them to step into this dialogue about creation, caregiving, and intimacy.

Chia-Shin Yang’s works, rooted in the concept of “re-covery,” analyze and replicate her private medical history and personal experiences of illness, from childhood to the present. In the installation 08773545, she integrates her mother’s handwritten notes, sketch writing, and daily images. By reconstructing medical records in a “full-screen” format that challenges linear browsing, she transforms the archives into an immersive space for viewers to navigate. In addition, through a sound installation capturing mother-daughter dialogues, Yang further examines family dynamics and caregiving relationships, revealing aspects of family history and reflecting on the intertwining of memory, illness, and care.

Jess Ching-Wa Lau’s art pieces, viewed through her own lens, document her father’s journey from the discovery of cataracts to his post-surgery recovery. As her father’s vision becomes increasingly blurred, the artist attempts to capture and illustrate the “blind field” between herself and her father, who suffers from an eye disease, through dynamic imagery4. Her still images, titled Wildlands Behind, inspired by observations of her father’s treatment process, prompt a re-examination of both her own and her father’s physicality. The work captures partial shots of their bodies, offering an organic reassembly of memories. In her new moving image work, The Star within your sun, Jess Ching-Wa Lau explores the concept that “humans cannot look directly at the sun.” She replaces the artist’s eyes with a lens made in the 1970s to capture this “moving landscape.” Simultaneously, both the body and the tools collectively shape our experience of the world, as our organs, like the surrounding equipment, are constantly engaged in digesting, breathing, seeing, and hearing, echoing Heidegger’s perspective in Being and time. 5

This exhibition revisits and reinterprets medical records, presenting a “documentary gesture” to portray the process of recovery as observed by others or as a personal journey from illness to healing. It draws an analogy to the Odyssey from Homer’s epic, representing a challenging, lengthy, and perilous journey while also representing return, wisdom, courage, and resilience. The artworks further highlight the metallic sheen that emerges from the intersection of art and reality.

Notes

1 One of Sophie Calle’s remarkable quotes. Born in Paris, France, Sophie Calle is an artist, photographer, and writer.
2 Aho, J., and Aho, K. (2009). Body matters: a phenomenology of sickness, disease, and illness. Lexington Books, p.147.
3 Appointment with Sigmund Freud is a work presented in book form. In the preface, the author, Sophie Calle, reflects on the origin of this “appointment.” In February 1998, Calle was invited to hold an exhibition at Sigmund Freud’s former residence. She imagined a wedding dress draped over Freud’s consultation couch, and this evocative image became the catalyst for the exhibition. The work is a unique dialogue between thoughts and objects. Calle juxtaposes her personal reflections and belongings with items from Freud’s private collection, which are still preserved in his former home today.
4 Pinney, Christopher. “Bruises and blushes: photography ‘Beyond’ anthropology.” In Documentary across disciplines, p.21.
5 Martin Heidegger emphasizes that the body is not merely a functional system in the biological sense, but is at the core of how we “exist” and “act” in the world. The body and tools together constitute our experience of the world.