Until February 16, six colourful LunarFest GTA lanterns will light up the Varley Art Gallery (216 Main Street Unionville) in Markham. One of these works of art, Ghost Town, was designed by Taiwanese artist Godkidlla 廖小子, who originally created the psychedelic image for a novel. It features six colours of the traditional Taiwanese cloth shed (orange, blue, red, green, yellow, and purple). Godkidlla imagined it as a metaphor for the concept of “home”.
“These six colours are twisted, divided, and combined to become a whole world,” the LunarFest GTA website states. “In that world, you will be caught in a whirlpool, unable to extricate yourself from it; your ears will hear murmurs from time to time but you won’t be able to tell where they are coming from; your eyes will seem to have peeped into the past but you will be lost in the present and the future; your six senses will be pulled back and forth. That place is your thoughts, your home—that is the lingering place.”
The Toronto Spark reached out to Godkidlla on Zoom to talk about his career as an artist. He opens the conversation by explaining that that he grew up in the working class. Therefore, the culture of ordinary people infuses his work.
When asked about his artistic vision, he replies that his goal is to improve society and encourage people to love Taiwan.
“I think everything is political, especially in Taiwan,” Godkidlla maintains. “We cannot live without it being political. We cannot say anything without it being political.”
Godkidlla created art for Sorry Youth
Early in his career, Godkidlla designed many book covers. This brought him in contact with publishers. But he noticed back then that there weren’t many good opportunities for launching books, which led him to open a bookstore in Taipei in 2014. Around a decade ago, he also founded a magazine to promote awareness of social issues in Taiwan. He has since closed the Taipei store and now owns TaKao Books in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.
One thing that sets Godkidlla apart from many artists is his use of text. He often incorporates calligraphy in a graffiti-like style. This reflects his deep-seated concern about the future of Traditional Chinese characters used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Godkidlla emphasizes there is no guarantee that Traditional Chinese will continue to be the preferred written language in Hong Kong. He worries that over time, the Chinese government may supplant it with less elegant Simplified script introduced by Chairman Mao to promote phonetic writing.
“Maybe in the future, Taiwan will be the only one using Traditional Chinese,” Godkidlla cautions. “So, as an artist who uses Traditional Chinese, I want to use my art to remind people that these characters still exist and are still being used.”
Over the years, he has created art for the Taiwanese indie band, Sorry Youth, which proudly sings all its songs in Taiwanese Hokkien. Sorry Youth has frequently performed at demonstrations, making it one of Taiwan’s more political bands. And Godkidlla describes the trio as his brothers.
“It’s a relationship that cannot be torn apart,” he says.
An intensely political artist
Godkidlla joined friends on the frontlines at one of the most significant protests—the 2014 Sunflower Student Movement. He and others stormed into the national legislature to oppose the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) government’s decision in 2014 to pass a Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement with China. Godkidlla recalls that he and other protesters were beaten by police after raising their voices in opposition.
The Sunflower Student Movement laid the foundation for the 2016 defeat of the KMT and the election of Democratic Progressive Party leader Tsai Ing-wen as president. Godkidlla believes that it took a massive collective effort to accomplish this.
“Everyone was like a small screw,” Godkidlla says of the efforts to replace the KMT.
Last year, the DPP won its third straight presidential election under the leadership of Tsai’s former vice president, Lai Ching-te. However, the DPP lost control of the Legislative Yuan. As a result, the KMT can block various initiatives.
“I hate the KMT,” Godkidlla defiantly declares. “My whole life’s job is to destroy the KMT.”
The Arts for Canadians Tomorrow Society, Asian-Canadian Special Events Association, and Varley Art Gallery of Markham will co-present LunarFest GTA. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on February 1 and 2 at the Varley Art Gallery (216 Main Street Unionville) and McKay Art Centre (197 Main Street Unionville). All events are free. The lanterns will remain on display in the Courtyard until February 16. For more information, visit the LunarFest GTA website.
Learn more about the communities that make up Canada on the Toronto Spark website. Follow Charlie Smith on Bluesky @charliesmithvcr.bsky.social. The Toronto Spark is also on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
