TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese artist Ni Hsiang's (倪祥) artwork was once mistaken for trash and discarded by a cleaning lady, though he retrieved it from the garbage bin, according to Ni.

Through old household items and trash collected from recycling centers, Ni’s solo exhibition "Everyone Came to See You," featuring multiple large-scale installations, leads viewers to look at the problems of long-term care.

As Taiwan becomes a superannuated society, the resulting long-term care issues are still under-prioritized. The artist reflects the current social situation through the hoarding tendencies common among many elderly people—chaotic spaces filled with clutter, including yellowed wedding photos, rusty hangers, and broken appliances.

"When you enter the exhibition space, you might find it familiar because it looks like your own home," said Ni. His creative inspiration comes from his experience of caring for his grandfather when he was ill.

Ni said that when someone in the family is sick, usually the person with relatively low productivity in the household goes to accompany them. “When I packed my luggage to stay overnight at the hospital, it felt like going to a battlefield," he added.

The artist's casual recounting of losing a loved one is similar to his artwork, which appears random and passive but is actually full of details and warnings. Among them, a large-scale medical form titled "You Are Not Normal As You Thought" conveys the artist's feelings about long-term patient care.

For example, the registration column says "super long," and the precautions say "unable to manage multitasks." It seems nonsensical and confusing to the untrained eye, but these bitter and helpless experiences can only be understood by those who have been through them.

Ni's solo exhibition is part of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum's annual project to encourage contemporary artists' creations. It is on display in the museum's third-floor exhibition room until Oct. 20.