Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) Multi-media Artist Cheang Shu-lea (鄭淑麗) will represent Taiwan at the 58th Venice Arte Biennale, who is the first female artist to be chosen since 2015, the Taiwan Fine Arts Museum (TFAM) said Monday.

Cheang will be the first woman to represent the Taiwan pavilion since Taiwan began to send a single artist to the biennale in 2015, according to the museum's press release.

Cheang said in a press statement that her artwork, titled "3x3x6," was inspired by the exhibition venue, Palazzo delle Prigioni, which was a Venetian government prison in the 16th century.

The work addresses the theme of crime and punishment with modern imprisonment and surveillance devices, and 10 historical figures imprisoned due to their sexual orientation will be included, to combine persecution and transgender issues, the artist said.

Meanwhile, TFAM announced that the Taiwan pavilion will be curated by Spanish philosopher Paul B. Preciado, who said that Cheang's work discusses the meaning of freedom, bringing together transfeminism, queer, and anti-racist politics through fiction narrative, video, art and performance.

TFAM said that Preciado's first book Counter-Sexual Manifesto was acclaimed by French critics as "the red book of queer theory" and has become a key reference work for European queer and trans activism.

The 58th Venice Arte Biennale will take place from May 11 to Nov 24, 2019, according to the exhibition's website.

(By Sabine Cheng and Chi Jo-yao)
Enditem/AW