To be sure, CO2's documentary function should be given due credit. In addition to encouraging public participation by providing free info cards of the woks for viewers to collect, the exhibition has set up an ambitious Web site: agora.tad.org.tw. The first of its kind in Taiwan, the site allows participating artists to take their work online with technical assistance from the organizers. Visitors can communicate with the artists via email. However, the end result remains to be seen as the Web site is still under construction.
C02 is also one of the few occasions in Taipei where artists from central and southern Taiwan participate with equal gusto. The presence of Tainan's alternative space Paint House (文賢油漆行) and Hsinchu's student group Chi-cry (七塊), among others, provides a much-needed cross-section of contemporary art in Taiwan.
Although C02's presentation is a bit messy and its selection excessively eclectic, its primitively liberal sprit is worth nurturing as an alternative to the sometimes factional curatorial exhibitions.
What: Taiwan Avant-garde Documenta (
Where: Huashan Arts District (華山藝文特區), the former American Culture Center (原美國文化中心), the former National Taipei Normal College's culture center (北師藝文中心) and the ground floor of the National Cultural Association (
When: Until Jan. 12, 2003
On the Web: www.tad.org.tw
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