2025 年 《獸山祭》

《獸山祭》以神話中的神獸、民俗吉祥物與動物形象為核心，探討人類如何將自然力量轉化為可被觀看、供奉與相信的形體。從早期圖騰崇拜到民間信仰，人們常將動物視為力量、保護與精神寄託的象徵：希望如老虎般勇猛，便創造虎的紋樣；渴望平安與庇佑，便將獅、燕、魚、鹿等形象轉化為吉祥物或守護符號。這些動物不只是裝飾，而是人類面對自然、未知與命運時，投射自身願望與恐懼的精神媒介。

因此，陳奕龍與奇幻小說家何敬堯合作，從《神話台灣》的文本中汲取台灣神話與原住民傳說中的動物形象，將文學敘事轉化為皮影形體與當代神獸圖像。透過皮革、鏤空、彩繪、光影與裝置結構，他試圖將華人與亞洲文化中的神話系統、民俗記憶與儀式精神，轉化為當代藝術中可被凝視、感受與重新相信的精神場域。

Beast Mountain Ritual centers on mythical beasts, folk auspicious figures, and animal imagery, exploring how human beings transform the forces of nature into forms that can be seen, worshipped, and believed in. From early totemic worship to folk belief, animals have often been regarded as symbols of power, protection, and spiritual sustenance. People created tiger patterns in the hope of embodying the tiger’s courage; they transformed lions, swallows, fish, deer, and other animals into auspicious figures or protective emblems in their longing for peace and blessing. These animals are not merely decorative motifs, but spiritual mediums through which human beings project their desires and fears when confronting nature, the unknown, and fate.

In this context, Chen Yi-Long collaborates with fantasy writer Ho Ching-Yao, drawing from the text of Mythical Taiwan to extract animal figures from Taiwanese mythology and Indigenous legends, transforming literary narratives into shadow-puppet forms and contemporary images of mythical beasts. Through leather, cutwork, painting, light and shadow, and installation structures, Chen seeks to translate the mythological systems, folk memories, and ritual spirit of Chinese and Asian cultures into a spiritual field within contemporary art—one that can be gazed upon, felt, and believed in anew.