In early 2026, the first-floor exhibition space “Memory” at ALIEN Art Centre presents A Ceremony at Sea by Pan Jin, as part of ALIEN Art Centre — Video Sandbox, the third exhibition of the project’s third edition. The work embodies the experimental spirit of emerging image-based artists in Taiwan. Since its establishment in 2023, the Video Sandbox project has sought to transform ALIEN Art Centre into a site for artistic creation and experimentation. Through curatorial support, open access to exhibition spaces, and public open calls, the initiative has built an exhibition-centered, creation-driven public platform. By integrating academic and practice-based resources, it encourages dialogue and exchange across institutions and disciplines.
The 2025 edition is themed “Retro Simulator,” responding to the pursuit of hyper-realism amid the overwhelming flood of digital imagery. The theme reflects on and challenges the dominance of technologically enhanced images—such as AI frame interpolation, HDR color grading, and ultra-high frame rates—by emphasizing a nostalgia for imperfect image textures. It explores multiple layers of perception, emotion, and cultural memory. Within this curatorial framework, Pan Jin’s A Ceremony at Sea reconstructs the Wang Boat ritual of Xiyu Islet in Penghu. In this ritual, the deceased are sent out to sea aboard a Wang Boat, symbolizing the return of the soul and the cyclical nature of life, while carrying the emotional resonances of local history and maritime culture. Through the fluid interplay of moving image and sound, combined with 3D scanning and computer animation, the work invites viewers—within the context of the “Retro Simulator”—to experience the layered flows of historical memory and collective emotion, and to reflect critically on contemporary imaging technologies.
A Ceremony at Sea
After the relocation of residents in 1978, Xiji Islet in Penghu became an uninhabited island. Yet the King Boat ritual continues to reside deeply within collective memory, symbolizing both the pacification of the deceased and a lingering sense of farewell. In the ritual, the body is placed upon the King Boat and released into the sea, drifting with the tides as a metaphor for the soul’s return and the cyclical passage of life.
The frequent shipwrecks along the Black Water Trench further endow the ritual with profound spiritual resonance. Without narration or subtitles, the film reconstructs the ritual through image and sound alone. By integrating 3D scanning and computer animation, the work explores the emotional layers and historical currents embedded within maritime culture.
The Tide That Carried the Divine
In the spring of 1945, aircraft from the U.S. Navy’s Task Force 58 launched air raids on Makung. Local memory recalls that one bomb dropped from the USS Hornet fell into the waters near Guanyin Pavilion without detonating—an incident later remembered as “Guanyin stopping the bomb,” a story of protection passed down on the island after the war.
Extending from this account, the film imagines a postwar moment in which the deity sets out once again, crossing the sea in the form of a carried palanquin, returning to the same maritime boundary that once guarded the island. Rather than reconstructing history through animation, the work employs 3D scanning, motion capture, and coastal landscape documentation to reassemble a sea-crossing sequence from a “spiritual perspective,” revealing how belief continues to be shaped and transmitted after catastrophe.
What the image records is not the event itself, but how ritual and imagination mend collective memory, allowing Guanyin Pavilion to endure as a site that is both protected and protective — a spiritual threshold sustained through remembrance.
｜Artist｜
Pan Jin
Jin PAN was born in Penghu. His works draw inspiration from the landscape of his hometown, focusing on the cultural narratives of the scattered islands of Penghu. He combines new media and video art with fieldwork and documentary research to explore the relationship between human geography and folk legends. He has held a solo exhibition at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, titled "Pan Jin: A Sea Narrative of Becoming". He has won the first prize of the "Taiwan Emerging Art Awards," the first prize of the "Next Art Tainan," the "Golden Harvest Award" for Best Student Experimental Film, and was shortlisted for the Taiwan Short Film Competition at the "Kaohsiung Film Festival".
｜Information｜
Title: A Ceremony at Sea
Year: 2025
Medium: Single-channel color video with sound
Dimensions: 1920 × 1080 Full HD｜30 FPS
Video length：21 minutes
Title: A Ceremony at Sea
Year: 2025
Medium: Single-channel color video with sound
Dimensions: 3440 × 1440｜30 FPS
Video length：13 minutes
｜Solo Exhibitions｜
2025 “A Ceremony at Sea” Pan Jin Solo Exhibition, ALIEN ART CENTRE, Kaohsiung
2024 “Frontier Vessel – Ancient Shipwreck Reconstruction Project” Pan Jin Solo Exhibition,
Unique Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan
2023 “Art Interdisciplinary Creative Project – Pan Jin: A Sea Narrative of Becoming”, Time Gallery – Multi-Screen Video Area, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan
2019 “The Waste Land” Pan Jin Solo Exhibition, Heart Spot Space, Taipei, Taiwan
｜Group Exhibitions ｜
2025 “A Wrinkle in Time” RANDOMIZE International Unstable Media Art Festival, Soulangh Cultural Park, Tainan
2025 Kaohsiung Film Festival – International Short Film Competition (Taiwan Shorts), Kaohsiung Film Archive & Neiwei Arts Center, Kaohsiung
2025 “Between Ebbs and Flows” International Contemporary Art Exhibition, Literature and Art Gallery, Penghu County Cultural Affairs Bureau, Penghu
2025 “Experiments – Viewers’ Self-Reflections” Shih Hsin University Experimental Film Festival, Shih Hsin University, Taipei
2025 “Data Tides” New Media Art Exhibition, Keelung Museum of Art, Keelung
2025 Golden Harvest Awards Screenings, SPOT–Huashan Cinema, Zhongshan 73 Film Art Hall, Shalu Film Art Pavilion, Hualien Railway Cinema
2025 “Contours of Perception” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Pingtung Art Museum, Pingtung
2025 “Across the Night” Stars of TiDing 2.0 Annual Selected Exhibition, O-Bank Gallery, Taipei
2024 “Bideodromo – International Experimental Film and Video Festival” , Bilbao, Spain
2024 “Reflected Realm” New Media Art Exhibition, New Taipei Gallery, New Taipei City
2024 “Latent Image of Dimension” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Chiayi Cultural Affairs Bureau Gallery, Chiayi
2024 “Adventure in Wonder: Pescadores” Creative Expo Taiwan – Penghu Pavilion, ICC Tainan (Tainan Exhibition & Convention Center), Tainan, Taiwan
2024 “Seeing Landscapes Everything Everywhere” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Exhibition Hall, Department of Culture and Tourism, Yunlin County Government, Yunlin
2024 “Latent Images in the Landscape” New Media Art Exhibition, Zhongxing Art Gallery, Penghu County Cultural Affairs Bureau, Penghu
2024 “The Place of Memory and the Memory of Place” New Media Art Exhibition, Zhi Xing Art Space, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei
2024 “All-Seeing Eyes” RANDOMIZE International Unstable Media Art Festival, Fuzhong 15, New Taipei City
2024 “ART FUTURE” Contemporary Art Fair, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Taipei
2023 “Focusing on Young Artists” Experimental Video Screening Festival, Cardinal Newman Centre of Culture and Arts (CCCN), Macau
2023 “Ocean Nomad” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Hushui Yifang Art Space, Tamsui Historical Museum, New Taipei City
2023 “Boundary · Displacement: The Subject and Transformation of New Media Art” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Angel Life Pavilion, Taipei
2023 “Microdomains” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Hualien County Stone Sculpture Museum, Hualien
2022 “Trail Makers” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Changhua County Art Museum, Changhua
2022 “Moiré Pattern” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Pingtung Art Museum, Pingtung
2022 “Reflections on the Dwelling” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Department of Cultural Affairs, Taoyuan City Government, Taoyuan
2021 “Taitung Art Exhibition” , Taitung Art Museum, Taitung
2021 “Pingtung Awards Exhibition” , Pingtung Art Museum, Pingtung, Taiwan
2021 “Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition” , Taichung City Dadun Cultural Center, Taichung
2021 “ART TAIPEI – Emerging Indigenous Artists Recommendation Zone” , Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1, Taipei
2021 “The Bauhaus Ordinaries” AAM Art Festival, AAM Art & Architecture Museum, Taichung
2021 “Taiwan Emerging Art Awards Exhibition” , Taichung City Seaport Art Center, Taichung
2021 “Art Tainan” , Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Tainan
2021 “Dwelling in Peace and Migration” Contemporary Art Exhibition, New Taipei City Arts Center, New Taipei City
2020 “Nanying Award Exhibition”, Xinying Cultural Center, Tainan
2020 “A Tree Hollow—Home Sweet Home, Then?” Art Project on Home,
Heart Spot Space, Taipei
2020 “Art Tainan”, Tayih Landis Hotel Tainan, Tainan
2020 “Uneven Parallel” NEXT ART TAINAN, Inart Space, Tainan
2020 “Oscillations in Time Perception” Stars of TiDing Art Exhibition, O-Bank Gallery, Taipei
2020 “ART FUTURE” Contemporary Art Fair, Fubon International Conference Center, Taipei
2019 “National Art Exhibition, R.O.C. ”, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan
2019 “Knowledge Construction of the Old City as a Site of Resistance – Future Ruins” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Heart Spot Space, Taipei
2018 “New Taipei City Arts Exhibition” , New Taipei City Arts Center, New Taipei City
2018 “Keelung Fine Arts Exhibition”, Keelung Museum of Art, Keelung
2018 “Hualien Arts Awards Exhibition” , Hualien County Cultural Affairs Bureau, Hualien
2018 “Yilan Art Awards Exhibition” , Yilan Museum of Art, Yilan
2018 “Huangxi Art Exhibition” , Changhua County Art Museum, Changhua
2018 “Mobile City” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Fluxx Projects Art Space, Taipei
2018 “Wandering Seeds – Taipei Botanical Garden Night Projection Project”, Taipei Botanical Garden, Taipei
2018 “Imagination Space” Contemporary Art Exhibition, Taoyuan Tudigong Culture Museum, Taoyuan
2017 “The First Seeds: Memory under the Banyan Tree”, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), Kaohsiung
｜Awards｜
2025 “Kaohsiung Film Festival – International Short Film Competition (Taiwan Shorts) ” , Official Selection, Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government, Kaohsiung
2025 “Golden Harvest Awards – Student Experimental Film Category” , Best Student Experimental Film,
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival Executive Committee, Taipei
2024 “Asia New Star Award” , Award Recipient, Formosa Art Fai, Taipei
2023 “National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts – Art Interdisciplinary Creative Project” , Selected Artist,National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung
2021 “Taitung Fine Arts Exhibition – New Media Art Category” , Third Prize, Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Taitung County Government, Taitung
2021 “Pingtung Awards – New Media Category”, Honorable Mention, Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Pingtung County Government, Pingtung
2021 “Taiwan Emerging Art Awards” , First Prize,Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Taichung City Government, Taichung
2021 “Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition – Digital Art Category” , Third Prize, Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Taichung City Government, Taichung
2021 “ART TAIPEI – Emerging Indigenous Artists Recommendation Zone” , Award Recipient,
Taiwan Art Gallery Association, Taipei
2020 “Nanying Award – New Media Category” , Honorable Mention, Xinying Cultural Center, Tainan
2020 “Next Art Tainan Award, Award Recipient”, Bureau of Cultural Affairs, Tainan City Government, Tainan
2020 “Asia New Star Award” , Award Recipient, Formosa Art Fair, Taipei
2019 “National Art Exhibition – New Media Art Category” , Silver Award, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung
2018 “Shih-An Aesthetics Award – Plastic Arts Category” , Art Creation Sponsorship Award, Shih-An Cultural and Educational Foundation, Taipei
2018 “New Taipei City Arts Exhibition – Digital Art Category”, New Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs, New Taipei City
2018 “Keelung Fine Arts Exhibition – Photography and New Media Art Category” , Honorable Mention,
Keelung City Government Department of Cultural Affairs, Keelung
2018 “Hualien Arts Awards – Imaging Art Category” , Merit Award, Hualien County Government Department of Cultural Affairs, Hualien
2018 “Yilan Art Awards – Photography and New Media Art Category” , Selected, Yilan County Government Department of Cultural Affairs, Yilan
2018 “Huangxi Art Exhibition – Digital Art Category” , Selected, Changhua County Government Department of Cultural Affairs, Changhua
2017 “Memory under the Banyan Tree” New Media Art Category, Selected, National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying), Kaohsiung
｜Collections｜
2022 “Rafting Boats II”, Collection, AAM Art & Architecture Museum, Taichung
2021 “Rafting Boats”, Collection, AAM Art & Architecture Museum, Taichung
2021 “Rafting Boats”, Collection, Art Tainan, Tainan
2021 “Lost Vessels in a Haze”, Collection, Taichung City Seaport Art Center, Taichung
2020 “Rafting Boats”, Collection, InArt Space, Tainan
｜Grants｜
2024 “Penghu Ritual Creation Project – Bachao Island”, 2nd Regular Grant (Visual Arts Category), National Culture and Arts Foundation (NCAF), Taipei
2024 “Frontier Vessel – Ancient Shipwreck Reconstruction Project”, Youth Arts Development Grant (Visual Arts Category), Ministry of Culture (MOC), New Taipei City
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art
2025 Video Sandbox III-III：A Ceremony at Sea, photo at ALIEN Art Centre, courtesy of the artist. © ALIEN Art