Tiger God

The Tiger God project originated during the artist’s residency at Cien Art Village in Hualien in 2021, inspired by a Sikawasay (Amis priest) who said a concrete tiger carried a soul. The work explores encounters between Han folk beliefs and Amis spiritual traditions, reflecting on suppressed indigenous histories in eastern Taiwan under colonial and religious forces. Nighttime fireworks symbolize external impacts on the land, linking concrete animals, mining, and colonial imagination. The ritual opera returns the footage to the land and gods, weaving ritual, research, and reflection into a narrative about silent objects and memory.

Synopsis

The Tiger God project originated during the artist’s residency at Cien Art Village in Hualien in 2021, inspired by a Sikawasay (Amis priest) who said a concrete tiger carried a soul. The work explores encounters between Han folk beliefs and Amis spiritual traditions, reflecting on suppressed indigenous histories in eastern Taiwan under colonial and religious forces. Nighttime fireworks symbolize external impacts on the land, linking concrete animals, mining, and colonial imagination. The ritual opera returns the footage to the land and gods, weaving ritual, research, and reflection into a narrative about silent objects and memory.