Goodbye 20th century

A selection from the TFAM's permanent collection offers a look at Taiwan's art over the last centuryTwo terrific shows currently running in Taipei sum up the 20th century in very different fashions. The first at Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM) is an attempt to write Taiwan's art history, not in print, but in 117 master paintings from the institute's permanent collection. The second show is at Dimensions Art Center, where an assortment of 25 works showcase the diverse culture of Taiwan's contemporary art scene at the end of the last century.

TFAM's retrospective show, called "Highlights from the Permanent Collection," looks back at 100 years of art in Taiwan, covering ground-breaking material such as Huang Tu-shui's (黃土水) 1926 plaster sculpture Sakya and Chen Cheng-po's (陳橙波) 1927 oil painting Streets Scene on a Summer Day to contemporary pieces like Yao Jui-chung's (姚瑞中) 1997 Attacking the Mainland Action Series and Hung Tung-lu's (洪東祿) 1999 Pretty Soldier: Sailor Moon.

The exhibition is spread out over two floors of the museum, with eight halls on the second floor separated according to decade. Highlights of the show include masterpieces such as Liao Chi-chun's (廖繼春) Courtyard with Banana Trees (1928) and Lee Shih-chao's (李石樵) Happy Farmers (1946) which offers a nostalgic window on the scenery and people of Taiwan in the 1940s. On the first floor are pieces by 13 contemporary artists some of whose works have been showcased at the Venice Biennial.

Most of the first floor artwork takes an angst-ridden look at society, challenging social norms and values through mixed media presentations that range from video installations to computer-aided print outs. Yao, for example, humorously touches upon the issue of the tense relationship across the Taiwan Strait, while Hung, centers his themes around Japanese comic characters that are the only company of many children of working parents. Provocative woodcuts by Hou Chun-ming's (侯俊明) and Huang Chih-yang's (黃志陽) Space Series (1992), which feature scrolls with images of beast-like humans, touch on taboos such as sex and morality. Touching on the issue of the media and society, Wang Jun-jien's (王俊傑) multimedia installation uses repeated images to issue a scathing critique of crass contemporary commercialism.

When: First floor until March 25, second floor until July 8

At Dimensions Art Center, modern artists take a jaded look at the 20th century

"Passion for the Good Old Days" at Dimensions Art Center, with its 25 pieces, offers a sort of off-Broadway contrast to TFAM's retrospective exhibition.

This irreverent contemporary art show says goodbye to the 20th century by being fun and dynamic, and reminds one of the recently-closed Taipei Biennial at TFAM. Drawing from a variety of sources, this lively show displays the cultural mix evident in Taiwan's contemporary art. The only overlap with TFAM's Highlight show is a mixed-media installation depicting Japanese comic book characters by Hung Dung-lu (洪東祿).

The eight featured artists, each with their unique and idiosyncratic style, are placed under two categories: passion for childhood and passion of self. Some of the self-portraits are highly personal, sometimes verging on narcissistic, while others make sarcastic critiques of society and people.