Jiun-You Ou MFA

"In my research, I am interested in: how do transformations reflect imaginations towards one’s life history and personal experiences? 
It is unfolded with the interpretations of what “transformations” and “imaginations” could be from both the psychological approach and the anthropological approach.  

The symbolic anthropological perspective is my main tool for most of the practical works. The “transformation” here could be compared to the characters of the middle stage in a ritual process – “liminality”.
Its transitional, transformative as well as back and forth characters are developed into the works with specific symbolic meanings by certain materials (quartz and steel), relative positions (multiple binary oppositions), color (blue) and so on. 

On the other hand, the (analytical) psychological approach reveals more personal experiences and emotions that could be traced from (weakened/ intensified) forms of body parts with quartz objects and steel sculptures. The later performative installation “11” also expresses this seemingly stagnant but dynamic process with a more intuitional depiction of archetypal images (transformative images) in one’s process of individuation. 

After a long-term exploration of theories, materials and even exhibitions towards my research topic, the liminal attributes of water and fire no longer only exist in a single ritual process that aims to solve a “crisis”.
They become immersive experiences that reveal possible connections or similarities between life and work by constructing a seemingly never-ending assemblage with floating space, time, objects and subjects."

www.oujiunyou.com