Ngialibalibade - to the Lost Myth

The largest contemporary visual arts festival in the UK, the Liverpool Biennial, opened on June 10th. Taiwanese indigenous artist Eleng Luluan has been invited to create an on-site artwork titled "Ngialibalibade - To the Lost Myth." It is exhibited for the first time at the Princes Dock in Liverpool during the Biennial. This edition of the Liverpool Biennial invited South African curator Khanyisile Mbongwa to curate the exhibition with the theme of "uMoya: The Sacred Return of Lost Things," echoing the history and characteristics of Liverpool. Starting from the curator's cultural background, it emphasizes the importance of ancestral and local knowledge, wisdom, and healing. In the isiZulu language, "uMoya" represents "spirit, breath, air, climate, and wind."

Echoing this year's theme, artist Eleng Luluan's work, titled "Ngialibalibade - To the Lost Myth," draws inspiration from her own background as a member of the Rukai indigenous tribe. According to Rukai legend, their founder was born from a pottery jar protected by two snakes, thus making the pottery jar a symbol of life's origin. The artist incorporates this ancient symbol by constructing a large metal container at the exhibition site and utilizing hand-woven components made from recycled fishing nets to transform the pottery jar into a sacred "vessel." The artist aims to create a sacred space where every viewer can enter, situated between the Mersey River and the Prince's Dock waterfront, inviting contemplation on the interdependence between visitors and water. The installation also serves as a reflection on the devastating impact of climate change on the environment. This is the latest creation in Eleng Luluan’s "Ali sa be sa be" series. "Ngialibalibade" is a term in the Rukai language that signifies an ongoing process or passage of time. It describes the state of experiencing growth in life, transformation of the mind, the cyclical changes of nature, rapid advancements in technology, visible monumental shifts in life, or subtle changes hidden within one's inner self. During the process of "Ngialibalibade," each person experiences different states of mind. Eleng Luluan endeavors to engage in a dialogue between her own life experiences and the contemporary phenomena occurring in the world through her artistic creation.