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Artists are like mirrors, reflecting and transforming what they know and feel into artworks, taking viewers into their creative world and inspiring the viewers’ imaginations. “If I Were a Mirror” reverts existing understandings of “looking in the mirror” and encourages parents and children to view themselves as “mirrors,” tapping into the multifaceted ways of looking at the world through the images of people, objects, and spaces captured by artists.

This exhibition features the works of five artists. Tsai Chih-Chi depicts the awkwardness during the transitional, inner states of teenagers. Lo Yi-Chun “paints” portraits of migrant workers in Taiwan using sun-dried banana peels after engaging in conversations with them. The sweet scent of dried banana peels encourages viewers to explore the life experiences of migrant workers. Chien Yu-Jen interacts with workers holding placards through sketching, guiding children to observe the scenes of society in everyday life.

Apart from portraits, this exhibition also invites children to unearth ways of viewing “objects” from the perspective of artists. Yeh Wei-Li named an abandoned sofa as a “portrait,” transforming a discarded object into an artwork, endowing objects with sentiments and life, and inspiring children to become aware of “objects” in everyday life. Hsu Chiao-Yen uses sketch to capture the dynamic qualities and traces of space, depicting the various interactions between places and people, and summoning the traces of people within space. Through the pre-exhibition workshop, artists also guide children into creating works on-site, crafting a collective memory of space by carving the lines and designs of architecture and houses.