Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist 

Psychic Theater presents Hung-Chih Peng’s artistic endeavor and experimental use of mediumistic techniques. Inspired by three pioneering figures from Taiwan’s theater scene—TIEN Chi-Yuan (1964–1996), CHEN Ming-Tsai (1961–2003), and CHOU Yi-Chang (1948–2016)—the exhibition evokes “clairvoyance” that informs the installation, sound, video, and performance, challenging the perceptual boundaries of existing materials and methods while expanding the narrative and spatial dimensions of life and death, presence and absence, reality and virtuality. It transforms “unfinishedness” into a creative approach that breaks and connects different boundaries, creating an eerie yet beautiful art form that evokes awe through its unique expression. (Commentator / CHENG Sheng-Hua)

Artwork Introduction  

In this solo exhibition, Hung-Chih Peng explores the “unfinished” legacies of Taiwanese theater artists who died prematurely (Tian Chiyuan, Chen Mingcai, and Chou Yichang) , and transforming them into a method for artistic creation. Using ritualistic structures such as mediumistic interviews and guan-luo-yin practices (acts of descent into the otherworld), he seeks to establish a dialogue across the boundary between life and death. This process is translated and expressed through a creative combination of video, installation, and performance. By blending folk customs with interdisciplinary collaboration, the work allows the absent creators to reappear in the contemporary art scene through proxies and re-narratives, raising questions about authorship, memory, and the possibility of extended creation. 

About the Artist 

Hung-Chih Peng, born in Taipei in 1969, graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University and earned his MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. His work explores the interconnections among religion, culture, power, and identity, often using humor and symbolism to challenge viewers’ perceptions of social structures and belief systems. In his Canine Monk series, he uses the image of dogs to reinterpret religious texts, investigating the boundary and conversion between the divine and the animal. His artistic style blends Eastern and Western cultural elements and, through various media and symbols, offers a deep reflection on contemporary society and the human condition. 

Production Team

Director: Hung-Chih Peng

Producer: Yao Lee Chun

Director of Photography: Steve Tsai Wei Long

Cast (in order of appearance)

Psychic: Chang Jia Chen

Psychic: Lu Ching Che

Assistant Psychic: Misha

Psychic Jigong: Wei Jintang

Narcissus: Magnum Arkan Nala

Underworld Traveler: Hung-Chih Peng

Psychic: Alice Chun

Dancer: Mugiyono Kasido

Dancer: Daniel Yeung

Aerial Photographer: Yu-Wei-Lin

Assistant Producer: Linda Ling / Ke Yuting / Lu Chih Yuan

Composer: Lee Gye Hwa

Music Director: Lee Gye Hwa

Korean dubbing: Kim Master

Art Director: Hung-Chih Peng

Editor: Hung-Chih Peng

Colorist: Will Chiang

Gaffer: Steve Tsai Wei Long

Assistant Photographer: Liu Pin Yen / Umin Basaw

English Translation: Brent Heinrich

Korean Translation: Han Lian

Digital Color-grading: C4 Company Ltd.

Post-production Consulting / PM: Chia-An Lee

Consultant: Tony Wu

Opening Song: Falling flowers

Lyrics/Music/Vocals: Yu Yuan-Keng

Exhibitio Essay: “Video Is Not ‘I See,’ But ‘I Fly’: The Technics Hauntology of Hung-Chih Peng”, by Hongjohn Lin

Exhibition Supervisor: Chien Cheng-Yi

Curator: Sharleen Yu

Exhibition Video Engineering: HsienYu Cheng

Exhibition Sound Engineering: Feng Chih Ming

Exhibition Lightening: L’atelier Muxuan

Exhibition / Maintenance: Lai Chien-Chung

Exhibition Photography: Chen Yun-jen / Chen Hong-To / Tsao Yi-Wen

Mechanical Engineering: Lai Yao-Jen

Assembly / Maintenance: Lin  Meng -Chou

Mechanical Engineering: Chung Chiu-Hung

Metal Structure: Sean Chou