Young artists let it all hang out at Taipei Artist Village

There are several art exhibitions by young artists that are worth seeing in Taipei this weekend. The Taipei Artist Village may be an unfamiliar place to many readers because it is not as well known as the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, but this creative haven nestled away in a quiet little area near Taipei Main Station is a hotbed of multi-cultural activity.

It is an interdisciplinary artist residency -- something like a hotel for visual artists, dancers, writers and others from all over the world to stay in for several months in order to create new works and to interact with Taiwan. The Taipei Artist Village brings an international flavor to the already cosmopolitan art scene of Taipei. If you haven't been there yet, now is a good time to visit, as there is a group exhibition of its visiting artists that runs until August 14. Entitled Art Diary, the show features Patrick Palucki, Hung I-ching (洪意晴), Alba Navas Salmer, Ayumi Matsuzaka and Sandra Tobias. The exhibition includes a wide range of media, from film to painting and weaving to conceptual work.

German mixed-media artist Patrick Palucki does experimental short film and video installations and has won many awards for his work, which deals with the phenomena of the consciousness and the psyche. He combines science, semiotics and autopoiesis, and is inspired by living in multicultural communities around the world.

Hung I-ching (洪意晴) is an illustrator of publications for children. After studying various experimental art processes, she has introduced knitting and braiding into her work, saying that the material and the process are representations of thought. Her new work begun in 2002 and is named Digital Doughnut.

Spanish artist Alba Navas Salmer and Japanese artist Ayumi Matsuzaka work together on public art projects, but they use a conceptual artist's sensibility. They emphasize working with the people of the community and having the art truly connect with the public.

Australian Sandra Tobias shows her whimsical and colorful paintings that depict the chaotic and frenetic pace of city life. Her recent work shows life in the cramped urban space of Hong Kong. After that taste of international cosmopolitanism, you may want to experience the complex flavors of Taiwanese performance art. Opening on the 23rd is a summer series entitled Carefree -- Taiwan Performance Art Relay, which runs until Sept. 17 at the Taipei MOMA Gallery and is curated by the prominent artist, curator and writer Yao Jui-chung.

Exhibition Notes:

What: Artist Diary

Where: Taipei Artist Village, 7, Beiping E Rd, Taipei (台北市北平東路7號)

Tel: (02) 3393 7377

When: Mon and Sun, 10am to 6pm, until August 14

What: Taipei MOMA Gallery

Where: 3F, No.19 Lane 252, Tun-Hua S Road Sec 1, Taipei (台北市大安區敦化南路一段252巷19號3樓)

Tel: (02)8771 3372

Web site: www.taipeimoma.com

When: Tue to Sat, 11am to 7pm

What: Kuo Hui-Chan's (郭慧禪) "Mimicry" and Ho Hsin's (何佳) "Writing Imagery Father Jai"

Where:Shin Leh Yuan Art Space 104, Chung-Shan N Road, Sec 2, Lane 11, No 15-2, Taipei (新樂園藝術空間，台北市中山北路二段11巷15之2號1樓)

Tel: (02)2561 1548

When: Wed to Sun, 1pm to 8pm