Ubiquitous Ghosts
Tao Ya-Lun
curated by Mia Yinxing Liu
This exhibition presents three works by Taiwanese artist Tao Ya-Lun that examine the spectral nature of power, technology, and displacement in contemporary life. Through two immersive VR installations and one video work, viewers encounter the ubiquitous forces that shape human existence—from utopian monuments to the profound ruptures of war and exile. Together, these works reveal how virtual media and technology create both unprecedented surveillance and unexpected forms of presence. The “Ghost”—whether political ideology, consumer fantasy, or displaced person—persists beyond physical boundaries or manufactured “togetherness,” infiltrating consciousness and reshaping what we understand as real.
Ubiquitous Ghosts No. 9 invites audiences to wear VR headsets while traversing a vast virtual utopia centered on Vladimir Tatlin’s never-realized Monument to the Third International. This iconic constructivist tower—designed in 1919 to commemorate the October Revolution, yet never built—exists as a perpetual specter of unrealized political idealism. Like a modern Tower of Babel, it haunts collective memory: never present, yet never absent.
Ubiquitous Ghost, No. 10, also a VR work, transports viewers through an abandoned amusement park suspended in virtual space. As bodies drift horizontally through this empty pleasure ground, the work interrogates the global expansion of capitalist consumer culture—from 18th-century pleasure gardens to contemporary theme parks. The deserted rides hanging in silence pose an unsettling question: do they promise joyful tomorrows, or mourn the spiritual ruins of our cities?
The Drifter (2023), a video work, documents the artist’s journey to war-torn Ukraine, carrying live VR equipment to reunite an exiled young man named Max with his homeland. Unable to return physically, Max wore a VR headset from abroad while Tao’s team navigated Lviv—allowing him to share meals with family, visit his grandfather’s grave, and walk through beloved neighborhoods. The work bears witness to displacement, longing, and the fundamental human right to return home.
About the Artist
Your Subtitle Goes Here
Tao Ya-Lun (b. 1966, Taipei, Taiwan) is a pioneering figure in the Taiwanese new media art scene whose practice investigates the intersections of technology, power, and human consciousness through virtual reality, mechanical installations, and live video systems. Drawing from critical theorists such as Michel Foucault, Giorgio Agamben, and Jean Baudrillard, Tao’s immersive installations examine how power operates through both visible and invisible means, transforming passive observation into visceral, embodied experience. His contributions have been recognized with numerous prestigious honours, including the International Digital Festival of Contemporary New Media Art (MADATAC) in Madrid, the Taipei Arts Award, and the Contemporary Painting Creation Prize—of which he is the youngest recipient. A grantee of the
Taiwan Fellowship Program by the Asian Cultural Council (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), Tao has undertaken residencies at the Headlands Center for the Arts in San Francisco, the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art, and 1a Space in Hong Kong. His work has been presented in major solo exhibitions at distinguished institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Taipei; Taipei Fine Arts Museum; OK Zentrum in Linz, Austria; Media Lab Prado in Madrid; and the Hong Kong Arts Center.
About the Curator
Your Subtitle Goes Here
Mia Yinxing Liu is Associate Professor in the Department of History of Art at Johns Hopkins University. She writes about history and criticism of photography, cinema, and media and their intersections in modern art.
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
During the month of July, we will offer a series of public programs to enhance your understanding of Tao Ya-Lun’s exhibition Ubiquitous Ghosts, while providing multi-sensory experiences to broaden your appreciation and enjoyment of Taiwanese art and culture.
Opening Reception
Your Subtitle Goes Here
First Friday
Opening Reception
Friday, July 3, 2026, 6 to 8 pm
Join us for our First Friday reception in July as we celebrate the opening of three new exhibitions that will feature Tao Ya-Lun, Rashin Kheiriyeh, and Mona Bozorgi. Take this opportunity to speak directly with the artists and mingle with friends.
Conversation with the Artist and Curator
Your Subtitle Goes Here
Saturday, July 11, 2026, 1 pm
A Conversation with Tao Ya-Lun and Mia Yinxing Liu
Our featured artist from Taiwan, Tao Ya-Lun, will be joined by the curator, Mia Yinxing Liu, who will talk about the different components of the exhibition Ubiquitous Ghosts, involving the use of VR headsets and how the exhibition fits within his larger body of work. Visit the event page to learn more.
Free to the public (registration is not required)
Third Thursday Jazz
Your Subtitle Goes Here
Thursday, July 16, 2026, 6 to 7:30 pm
The Ubiquity of Jazz
In celebration of the exhibition by Tao Ya-Lun, Ubiquitous Ghosts, IA&A at Hillyer will feature a jazz trio that includes Noble Jolly, Jr. on piano, Blake Meister on bass, and Integriti Reeves on vocals. Visit our event page to learn more about our featured artists.
Free to the public (registration is not required)
Generative AI: A Discussion about Art and Technology
Your Subtitle Goes Here
Saturday, July 18, 2026, 1 pm
Generative AI: A Discussion about Art and Technology
Led by the Tech Journalist and founder of Generative Series: Ai, Art & Culture events, Nihal J. Krishan, Hillyer will host a discussion about the impact of technology in contemporary art. The discussion will center on topics related to Tao Ya-Lun’s exhibition, such as virtual reality and immersive exhibitions, artificial intelligence, and experimentations with sound. Visit the event page to learn more.
Formosan Groove
Your Subtitle Goes Here
An Afternoon with Formosan Groove
Saturday, July 25, 2026, 1 pm
Join us for our second music event in July as we feature Formosan Groove, a jazz fusion group based in Washington D.C. Led by Shin-Yi Lee (also known as Rufusion), the group performs classic Taiwanese traditional songs, a project that reimagines familiar melodies through groove-driven arrangements that blend jazz harmony, global rhythms, electronic textures, and traditional Asian instruments. Other musicians include ChengLun Cheng (erhu) and Eugenio Ibarz (Bass). This program is organized in conjunction with Tao Ya-Lun’s exhibition Ubiquitous Ghosts. Visit our event page to learn more about our featured artists.
Free to the public (registration is not required)