Armageddon of “Seediq Bale”

He explored the notions of war and liberty in the context of his host country, Taiwan. The history of its independence from Japanese imperialist forces appears fascinating to him. As a foreigner, the idea of independence raises some questions for him. Although Taiwan has its own cultural roots and ethnic diversity, the larger Chinese influence is clearly visible. Interestingly, the birth of modern Taiwan was marked by the Wushe incident, where clashes between a proud Taiwanese ethnic group and Japanese imperialist forces took place. Mona Rudao, the legend and the national hero of Taiwan, was born. He first encountered the image of Mona Rudao in the Taiwanese currency. His image to him appeared to be an image of hope, strength, and prosperity. He like other national heroes represent the spirit of this great nation. He is seen as a great martyr who fought and laid down his life in the hope of the independence of his people. Although Taiwan was fighting the war of liberation against the Japanese imperialist forces at the same time, it can be seen as a by-product of the Sino-Japanese war. The larger socio-cultural association with Mainland China somehow channelized the aggression against the tyrant Japanese forces. In this work, he played with two changing image compositions. In the first image, Mona Rudao emerges centrally as a great hero against the traditional Chinese landscape, where the sun is about to set. He used the landscape as a background to suggest the socio-cultural-political ties of Taiwan. And the image of the setting sun beyond the landscape is suggestive of the fall of the imperialist Japanese regime. Japan is famous as the land of the rising sun, but contrary to the epithet, Taiwan became the site where the sun set. The sun had to bow down before the indomitable spirit of the Taiwanese people. Much of my work infuses myth with reality; thus, in the second image, he explored the idea of a war on an imaginary plane. When people go to war, they seek the blessings of their respective gods. These gods are revered as the protector of the state/country and its people. Thus a real war on a physical level can be compared with the war of the gods. To him, this power relationship and display of supremacy amongst religions generate a special interest. The second composition showcases the imaginary war between two war gods from both cultures. He used the iconographic details of Hachiman, the Japanese war god, and Guandi, the Taiwanese war god, in an animated battle in heaven. This image further explains several other ideas/issues pertaining to the war in a satirical way.