Taipei Biennial
Commissioned for the 14th Taipei Biennial, a series of glass etching and mirror installation exploring the Asian masculine heroism and cinematic memories between Hong Kong and Taipei
Touched: A Better Tomorrow (2025)
Isaac Chong Wai
Etched glass, tinted acrylic and mirror
Commissioned for the 14th Taipei Biennial Whisper on the Horizon curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath
Isaac Chong Wai’s Touched is a series of etched glass and mirror panels that show the marks left by the artist’s own body. Impressions left by skin contact—like brushstrokes—form ghostly, fragmented figures on the surface of the panels. Inspired by the film A Better Tomorrow, the work draws on its film stills linked to Taipei and the artist's childhood memories of Hong Kong.
A Better Tomorrow is a 1986 Hong Kong action film directed by John Woo. The story follows two brothers: Ho, a former gangster, and Kit, a police officer. Ho is betrayed during a counterfeiting deal in Taiwan and is arrested there. Since there is no extradition agreement between Taiwan and Hong Kong, Ho serves his sentence in Taiwan. Upon his release, he seeks to reconcile with Kit, who resents him for their father's death. While primarily a story of brotherhood and masculine heroism, the film also carries subtle queer undertones in the intensity of its emotional bonds. The relationships between Ho, Kit, and Leslie Cheung’s character are charged with closeness and vulnerability that go beyond conventional friendship, and for contemporary audiences, these moments resonate with the knowledge of Leslie Cheung’s later life as an LGBTQ icon.
