Liquid Votive – Tree Shade Triad is Haegue Yang’s first large-scale commissioned piece in Taiwan. Inspired by the universal tradition of venerating old trees in various cultures, her piece inhabits the Taichung Art Museum’s soaring 27-meter atrium, not only responding to the vertically stretched architecture, but also paying homage to the local as well as transculturally rooted beliefs in nature, such as a big tree.
"Liquid Votive" exemplifies the museum’s vision through her signature venetian blinds. Informed by her field research in Taichung, the cultural symbolism of sacred trees guided the work’s conception. In various cultures around the world, from Taiwan (dashugong) to Korea (dangsan namu), old giant trees have served as important communal sites not only for physical gatherings, but also for spiritual bonds. This concept of communal guidance and spiritual leadership is considered in Liquid Votive. The suspended, spiraling structure of the work is an analogy for the cosmic tree and strives to activate the space while honoring local animistic traditions.
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