桃園市美術館 Logo

Parent-child relationship is often depicted from the perspective of motherhood, where the fathering role is usually ignored. "Papahood" attempts to explore the special parent-child relationship and bond from a father’s angle, unveiling the various images, moods and desires of fathers through artistic works by creators with ‘dual identities’ as father and artist.

The seven groups of invited artists, which include Mirza Čizmić, Lee Wen-Cheng + Nagee, Lee Ming-Hsueh, Lin Chi-Wei, Chen Chien-Jung, Huang Yi-Min + Chen Yen-Yi, and So Yo Hen, embed the notion of fatherhood in their artworks, using the language of art to evoke the child’s impression of a father or their creative thoughts. These father-and-child stories vary: an exchange of memories and affection between Čizmić and his father; a submarine packed with island stories by Lee Wen-Cheng and Nagee; an object metaphor that carries all sorts of projective identification and relationship expectations by Lee Ming-Hsueh; a flipped relationship created by Lin Chi-Wei allowing adults to learn words like babies do; an integration of the child’s toy’s design into paintings by Chen Chien-Jung; the shadow theater created by Huang Yi-Min and Chen Yen-Yi shows what new parents want to say to their children; or like So Yo Hen, who struggles between art making and childcare duties, an artist who must work in his spare time after putting the kids to bed.

From "Mothers & Babies – Ways to Love and Be Loved" in 2019 to "Papahood" of this year, we aim to explore the flow of affection between parent and child through the language of art. The Papahood exhibition came just in time for this year’s Father's Day, when visitors will be able to see, listen, and touch these daddy artists’ heart and emotions through their artworks. The interactive workshop allows imaginative children to react and get close to the image of their father. Daddy and baby: papahood is not only the connection of relationship, but also the attachment of mutual affection and care.