2023 Shadow Puppeteer

2023 solo exhibition — Shadow Puppeteer, TKG+. Photo by © Anpis Wang. Courtesy of the artist.

Mysterious shadows lurking in various scenes in life; we catch a glimpse and lose sight of them in the next moment, somehow still able to decipher their physical form. Taking place in an underground exhibition venue, Jam Wu: Shadow Puppeteer employs shadows as puppets, rendering the core of subconsciousness in the human body. Shadow Puppeteer (2023), the main installation in this exhibition, comprises lofty screens scattered in the space, where the “shadow puppets” ritualistically guide the viewer around, evoking the monochromatic environment from Through the Walls (2021), his previous solo exhibition at TKG+ Projects. Artificial color spectrums are refracted in this desolate altered state, while agile silhouettes alternate between dance moves and instinctive motions, becoming shadows steeped in symbolic intent. Under Sunlight (2023), on the other hand, documents the performers’ forms under natural light. Each of these bodies embarks on a journey of their own life, as if emerging from a wormhole towards the end of the exhibition space, encountering an everyday moment of sunset.