Dunhuang is a name that resonates through the ages as one of the truly great treasure troves of art and culture. The National Museum of History's (NMH) exhibition From the Forgotten Deserts: Centuries of Dazzling Dunhuang Art, which promised so much, is not only a sad disappointment but an object lesson in how sloppy exhibition design can undermine even the most exciting of exhibits.
From the moment I walked into the exhibition area, I was exposed to a series of minor disappointments that marred much of my enjoyment of the exhibition. First there was the semi-literate English introduction posted in large type, with its usual complement of typographic errors. This is hardly the first time that the NMH has been guilty of this sort of carelessness, and for a national museum with international pretensions, carelessness of this kind is simply unforgivable.
Then there is the question of the arrangement of the artifacts. The exhibition is organized by theme, which is fair enough, but no attempt is made in the layout to create a sense of thematic or chronological progression. After your ticket is taken, you find yourself, without preamble, in an area of frescos featuring the theme of clothing, and a few steps further on, the frescos are illustrative of architecture. It all is rather haphazard, without clear focus or progression.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NMH
Then, moments later, one is brought to a further realization. The "frescos" that one is looking at are part of a collection of "30 genuine fresco copies" that are on loan from the Dunhuang Academy. While there is nothing wrong with copies being featured in an exhibition, it seemed a little odd that they would constitute such a large proportion of the exhibited materials -- a total of 102 items -- and most aggravating of all, that they are not clearly distinguished from the few original works: 10 very fine paintings on silk from the Musee National des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet.
To add insult to injury, some of the "exhibits" are no more than large-scale computer printouts -- of indifferent quality to boot -- of frescos. With exhibits of this quality, you would be better off with a book of illustrations.
Then there are the 20 "musical instrument replicas" from the Tainan National University of the Arts, most of which would not look out of place in the souvenir shop. As with the "genuine fresco copies," these may serve some purpose in an educational or research context but are certainly out of place as key exhibits.
As if all this wasn't enough, some of the frescos are sloppily tacked or pasted to the wall in a manner that would shame any self-respecting high school art class. By trying to pass this off as an international exhibition, and charging accordingly, the NMH is guilty of the type of skullduggery that can only injure its reputation. Taiwan's art lovers deserve more than this inept slight-of-hand.
Among the original works on display from the Musee National des Arts Asiatiques, there are two pages from the notebook of Paul Pelliot and a letter to Pelliot from his rival, Sir Aurel Stein. These documents are undated and are not given any context outside a timeline on the other side of the room and a brief background on Pelliot. Having placed these items in the show, no effort has been made to provide any context regarding the removal of Dunhuang's artifacts by foreign explorers in the early part of the 20th century.
Included in the exhibition are 12 works by Chang Da-chien (
It would be nice to say that the exhibition, despite its faults, is not without merit. Given the interest of the subject, it is really impossible not to learn something from the show, if one can put up with the frustration and irritation caused by the slapdash and thoughtless presentation. For the most part, a good book about Dunhuang would provide greater satisfaction, or check the list of academic and general links at the International Dunhunag Project links page at idp.bl.uk/chapters/links/links.html.
Exhibition Notes:
What: From the Forgotten Deserts: Centuries of Dazzling Dunhuang Art
Where: The National Museum of History
When: until May 29
Tickets: NT$150
May 6 to May 12 Those who follow the Chinese-language news may have noticed the usage of the term zhuge (豬哥, literally ‘pig brother,’ a male pig raised for breeding purposes) in reports concerning the ongoing #Metoo scandal in the entertainment industry. The term’s modern connotations can range from womanizer or lecher to sexual predator, but it once referred to an important rural trade. Until the 1970s, it was a common sight to see a breeder herding a single “zhuge” down a rustic path with a bamboo whip, often traveling large distances over rugged terrain to service local families. Not only
By far the most jarring of the new appointments for the incoming administration is that of Tseng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) to head the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF). That is a huge demotion for one of the most powerful figures in the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Tseng has one of the most impressive resumes in the party. He was very active during the Wild Lily Movement and his generation is now the one taking power. He has served in many of the requisite government, party and elected positions to build out a solid political profile. Elected as mayor of Taoyuan as part of the
Moritz Mieg, 22, lay face down in the rubble, the ground shaking violently beneath him. Boulders crashed down around him, some stones hitting his back. “I just hoped that it would be one big hit and over, because I did not want to be hit nearly to death and then have to slowly die,” the student from Germany tells Taipei Times. MORNING WALK Early on April 3, Mieg set out on a scenic hike through Taroko Gorge in Hualien County (花蓮). It was a fine day for it. Little did he know that the complex intersection of tectonic plates Taiwan sits
The last time Mrs Hsieh came to Cihu Park in Taoyuan was almost 50 years ago, on a school trip to the grave of Taiwan’s recently deceased dictator. Busloads of children were brought in to pay their respects to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正), known as Generalissimo, who had died at 87, after decades ruling Taiwan under brutal martial law. “There were a lot of buses, and there was a long queue,” Hsieh recalled. “It was a school rule. We had to bow, and then we went home.” Chiang’s body is still there, under guard in a mausoleum at the end of a path