藝術與政治－解嚴前後台灣藝術的政治批判（1983-1992）

Abstract

台灣藝術史發展以來，藝術與社會關係長期的疏離，導致台灣的政治發展一向被藝術所關注的議題排除在外，藝術創作者本質上具備的批判性格在台灣的藝術史發展上缺了席，而如此藝術歸藝術政治歸政治的創作圭臬，來到了八〇年代解嚴前後時期，隨著台灣社會逐漸開放的氛圍以及現代化的趨勢，有了顯著的轉向。

這個時代，台灣經濟條件逐漸改善，美術館相繼成立，藝術展覽的威權正式與官辦美展以及市場機制脫鉤，同時，社會風氣逐漸開放，相對包容、前衛且具開創性的思潮隨著社會運動的興盛得已開展，更加上國際上具有批判性的思想理論進入台灣的知識領域，「批判理論」的介入令社會運動有了更積極的底本以及經驗，「批判」成為民主化的基調，也成為時代的代表，而此時台灣的藝術風氣也受其影響，發展出以「政治批判」為主體的風氣。

解嚴前後的台灣藝術家，一別以往地以台灣社會為主體，以作品與政治議題進行多方對話、反思以及批判。而這股力道，隨著逐漸成功的民主化而在藝術領域消退。從峰值來看，台灣藝術在政治批判的激烈程度，解嚴前後達到了最高峰，是一段前無古人後無來者的時代現象。本研究關注於解嚴前後的台灣藝術關懷政治議題的批判特質以及根源，探討何種客觀因素及狀態，讓八〇年代之前台灣藝術的政治批判不得發展；又是何種條件因素、歷史情境，使得解嚴前後的台灣藝術界出現了大量具政治批判性的作品以及風氣的形成。In the history of Taiwan art, long-term isolation between art and society has led to the exclusion of political development from the art world. The critical characteristic of art creators was absent in the development of Taiwan’s art history. However, with the gradual openness and modernization of Taiwan's society around the time of Martial Law in 1980s, there was a significant turn in the art creation guideline of "art for art's sake".

In this era, Taiwan's economic conditions gradually improved, art museums were established one after another, and the authority of art exhibitions was officially decoupled from government-run art exhibitions and market mechanisms. At the same time, the social atmosphere was opening up, and relatively inclusive, avant-garde and pioneering ideas spread as social movements flourished. In addition, Taiwanese people began to be exposed to international critical thoughts and theories, therefore the intervention of "critical theory" provided a more aggressive reason and experience to learn from for social movements. "Criticism" finally became the basis of democratization and the symbol of the era, and the art environment in Taiwan was also influenced by this trend, which led to the development of "political criticism" as the main theme.

Taiwanese artists before and after the lifting of Martial Law were different from those in the past. Through their artworks and political issues on the theme of Taiwan's society, the artists during the period engaged in dialogue, reflection and criticism. However, this force receded in the field of art with the gradual success of democratization. The intensity of political criticism in Taiwanese art reached its highest peak before and after Martial Law was lifted, and became an epochal phenomenon unprecedented in the history. This study is concerned with the critical nature and roots of Taiwanese art reflecting political issues before and after the lifting of Martial Law. Moreover, it further investigates what objective factors and conditions prevented the development of political criticism in Taiwanese art before 1980s, and what conditions and historical circumstances led to the emergence of a large number of politically critical artworks and the formation of a culture of political criticism in Taiwanese art during the period.