Go! Figures:
the culture and charisma of status, puppets and dolls
Organizers:Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica
Co-organizers:Lin Liu-Hsin Puppet Theatre Museum, National Museum of History, and National Taiwan Museum
Curator: Teri J. Silvio
Exhibition Duration: October 17, 2012 –October 31, 2013
This exhibition compares different types of Chinese and Taiwanese figurines across history, exploring their diversity of style and function. Through the exhibition the Institute hopes to show how anthropology makes connections between the contemporary and the ancient, the everyday and the extraordinary.
Puppets and dolls have played a prominent role throughout the history of the ethnic Chinese peoples and have been made for many purposes. Dolls have been made to accompany dead rulers in the afterlife, as toys for children, and also for ornamental or architectural reasons. Figurines have also played important roles in religion and art. In addition to their traditional functions, figurines and images of humans are also seen daily in contemporary Taiwan in such roles as logo characters for enterprises and politicians, and as figurines of well-known manga and anime characters (gongzai公仔) that dangle from cell-phones, key chains, or book bags.
Through comparing figurines from different eras, a great deal can be learnt about how the ideals of beauty and the relationship between the body and spirit have changed over time. Figurines and photographs of artifacts spanning over 3000 years of ethnic Chinese cultures have been collected for the exhibition. These include photos of the Terracotta Warriors from the Qin Dynasty; a 17th century Dutch representation of Guan Gong (關公); puppet stars from the Pili International Multimedia Company’s television series (霹靂布袋戲); cute plastic toys of deities sold in convenience stores; as well as designer toys from Hong Kong and Taiwan. By observing the diversity of styles, visitors can learn how society defines the image of a “human”, and how a hero or celebrity of the time is recognized.