The exhibition BODO is inspired by the Taiwanese film of the same name. Released in 1993, the film BODO tells the story of a soldier who becomes a fugitive and engages in gun trafficking and murder. Through this film, director Huang Ming-Chuan portraits the unique social conditions of Taiwan in the 1990s: a booming economy, social turmoil, and political changes after the martial law.

In the project, the artist rewrites the story of BODO and incorporates his own personal experiences as a marine corps. BODO depicts the protagonist's military life on a distant island. The story is divided into three storylines, including a cross-generational romance with “the auntie," a cross-species violence with a half-human, half-beast creature in a sea cave, and a sexual relationship with his senior, Da-Diao.

These storylines revolve around themes of death, violence, and sexuality in a male-only world. Through audience decisions, the story switches between the these storylines and leads to seven different endings. The artist aims to explore issues within male culture through this multi-plot script and blends personal experiences with artistic expression. Through the work, the artist further discusses the abstract construct of “man,” and how it gradually becomes a social reality aided by camouflage uniforms and instruments of killing.

At the same time, BODO brings together site-specific works, multilayered narratives, interactive technology, and multichannel sounds, transforming the museum into an automatic theater mixing reality and virtuality. In the exhibition, the audience’s viewing routes and choices will have an effect on how the story unfolds. In the complex multithreaded story, the audiences become participants in a role-playing game, and everyone’s viewing experience becomes a unique existence unlike any other because of how they choose to experience the adventure.

photo by Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Sean Wang

Exhibition Team｜ Script Writer: Ting-Tong Chang, JUNU Wu | Installation Production: Chieh-Sheng Keng , Kuo-Wei Lin, Chung-Yi Wu, Yung-Jia Lin, Wei-Yu Chen, Chiao-Chin Chiang, Meng-Zhe Xie | Interaction Design: Okome Studio | Sound Designer and Mixer: Chih-Ming Feng | Voice Actress: Yin-Chen Cheng | Technical Planning and Execution: L’atelier muxuan | Exhibition Design: Ting-Tong Chang, Gwo-Woei Wu | Graphic Design: Gina Lee | TTC Studios: Ray Wang

Sponsor: National Culture and Arts Foundation | Special Thanks to: Fine Arts College, National Taiwan University of Art, Kuang-Yi Chen, Dean of the Fine Arts College, National Taiwan University of Art