Kingdom Rebuilt 1992-1994

再造王國 1992-1994

“Legend has it that in hell, a final judgment upholds the principle that ‘good deeds will be rewarded, and evil will be punished,’ ensuring ultimate fairness and justice. But is this truth or mere folklore? As a child, whenever a mischievous thought crossed my mind, my grandfather’s warning would immediately resurface: ‘Beware of retribution—Ox-Head and Horse-Face will come to settle the score!’”

This childhood memory is Yang Shun-Fa’s earliest recollection of the inspiration behind Kingdom Rebuilt, as expressed in his artistic statement.

Created in the early 1990s, Kingdom Rebuilt draws upon elements from folklore and religious allegories—such as Ox-Head and Horse-Face, the Book of Life and Death, reincarnation, hell, and final judgment—to illustrate the repercussions of wrongdoing and the moral warnings they convey.

At this time, Taiwan was a decade into its post-martial law era, undergoing dramatic social changes. Making money became easier and was widely encouraged, freedom of speech expanded, and society as a whole exhibited a heightened, restless energy. Meanwhile, traditional values began to decline. These shifts were even more pronounced in the rural society where Yang Shun-Fa grew up, further influencing his motivation for creating this series.

Meanwhile, digital technology was on the rise, and traditional darkroom techniques in photography were starting to be replaced by innovative software. In Taiwan’s photography scene, image-making that emphasized inner emotions or subjective expression—alongside the long-established Western trends of conceptual art and contemporary themes—was gradually being explored and embraced by local artists.

Created over the course of three years, Kingdom Rebuilt emerged from this shifting era. Rather than using photography solely as a tool to document reality, Yang Shun-Fa sought to construct his own. In shadowy basements and along vast, desolate shorelines, he staged eerie, otherworldly scenes with carefully placed props. Back in the darkroom, he layered multiple negatives to weave together images that blurred the line between illusion and reality, all while narrating his meticulously crafted tales of the human world and the underworld.

傳說中在地獄裡，所謂「善有善報，惡有惡報」、代表公平正義的最後審判，到底是真是假？小時候，每當有使壞的念頭時，馬上就會想起阿公告誡我們的話：「小心報應，牛頭馬面會来找你算帳的！」

這是楊順發最早在創作自述裡，對「再造王國」創作動機的回憶。

1990年代初期創作的「再造王國」，透過轉譯民間傳說和宗教寓言中的元素，例如牛頭馬面、輪迴、生死簿、地獄、審判等，表現「做壞事」的後果，以及由此衍伸出的道德訓誡。

此時正值台灣政治解嚴後的十年，社會風氣開始劇烈轉變，賺錢相對容易、也被鼓勵，言論更加自由，整體社會呈現出高昂、躁動的情緒，傳統價值觀式微。而楊順發出身的農村社會，在此前後展現的差異更為明顯。這於是成為他創作本系列的動機之一。

數位科技也在當時開始蓬勃發展，攝影的暗房技術開始出現被新穎的軟體功能取代的跡象。而在台灣的攝影藝術領域，心象或強調主觀情感的影像，或在西方風行許久、「概念先行」的觀念藝術與當代題材，也逐漸被影像創作者吸收、採納。

「再造王國」就是在這樣的時代脈絡與情境下，以三年的時間創作完成。相較於利用攝影捕捉與再現真實的能力，楊順發更嚮往為鏡頭創造出自己心目中的現實，他在幽暗的地下室、遼闊孤寂的海岸邊置入道具、打造詭譎的場景，回到暗房中，將數個不同的底片疊合，製造虛實交錯的景象，同時述說他精心建構的人間與地獄故事。