When I took Chiayi County Route 155 to Laichi in Alishan Township, Taiwan one Sunday in late September, I found that the whole road was like a sacrificial altar to the toad Bufo bankorensis. The construction of this farm road put a noose around the neck of living things. The lifeblood of animals is like an offering for our redemption, played out in an endless series of tragic rituals in our modern world.
This works uses two respectively Chinese and Western religious objects. One is a cross on a squashed toad’s body; the dull red is like a bloodstain that can’t be wiped away. The object on the floor that looks like a chair is a sedan chair of the kind used in Taiwanese temples to carry divine images.
Note: The toad Bufo bankorensis is native to . It can be found throughout the island, from the lowlands to mountainous areas 3,000 meters above sea level. Although it spends most of its time on dry land, it returns to ponds and streams during the breeding season. Large numbers of the toads are often seen on damp evenings after a rain, especially along mountain roads. Small toads are common in mountain areas in the springtime. Cars traveling farm roads frequently squish many of the adult toads.
