The Taiwanese artist Mei Dean-E and the concept of Chineseness
Résumé
The artist Mei Dean-E (born in 1954) constantly questions the identity of Taiwan and especially of its Chinese component. In an era of de-Sinicization of Taiwan, to which Chineseness does this second-generation mainlander refer? Mei Dean-E, a Dada and Pop Art artist, challenging mental habits through a deconstruction of signs and symbols, gives multi-layered answers. I will argue that he never gives up his emotional relationship to Chinese culture and reinvents a form of Chineseness which is much more related with personal feelings than with official slogans or international opinions.