Chou Yu-Cheng The Working History of LU Chieh-Te, 2012 Acrylic on canvas 173 x 173 cm In the beginning of this project, Chou Yu-Cheng placed a recruitment advertisement in a newspaper and thereby hired Lu Chieh-Te, a contingent worker who was almost at sixty, as the protagonist of the project. Meanwhile, a text-worker was commissioned by Chou to conduct an interview with Lu in Chou’s presence after winning Lu’s trust through frequent communication. The text-worker faithfully and plainly described Lu’s work history. Lu was initially a farmer in southern Taiwan. Later, forced by unexpected economic problems, he became a contingent worker in Taipei. Then he used to work in restaurants, run his own business, and thereby experienced the process of socialization. He also served as a factory manager in Mainland China and then returned to Taiwan after suffering a severe setback. Gambling and alcohol became the only consolations to him during that period. Finally, he restored himself to the current life of a contingent worker. The interview not only reflected the changes in Taiwan’s social and economic conditions, but also indicated the forthcoming retirement for which Lu must prepare. After the interview text was finished, the artist requested Lu to represent himself as a security guard at the exhibition venue. The text and its protagonist were thus simultaneously displayed in this exhibition. Being held at Taipei Contemporary Art Center, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, and Eslite Gallery, the exhibition not only shaped a relationship of interdependence between itself and the contingent worker, but also transformed the term “work” from an economic sense to an art one. The artist also adopted the pattern on the top that Lu wore frequently during the interview as the symbol of this project.
