In the dog days of summer it is common for art galleries to shut down so that the gallery staff, artists and collectors can take a summer holiday. This, however, is not the case in Taiwan where there are plenty of shows to view.
Yao Jui-chung (姚瑞中) is a prominent artist, curator and writer working in Taipei and recently published the book Performance Art in Taiwan 1978 to 2004, which gives an in-depth look at Taiwanese performance art. He is also the curator for a series entitled Carefree-Taiwan Performance Art Relay that runs until Sept. 17 at the Taipei MOMA Gallery.
The second part recently opened and showcases the provocative work of performance artist Cheng Shih-chuan (鄭詩雋) and includes video documentation of some of his more eclectic performances that exploit the use of TV media. Also included are some sculptural installations and a glossy photographic series involving cigarette burns. Ouch!
Art's Diary: Intervene recently opened at the Taipei Artist Village (TAV) and runs until Sept. 18. The premise here is that art is an interface that connects the artist with the populace. The exhibiting artists, both Taiwanese and visiting artists, show diverse works but each artist shares the same idea of creating a warm interaction and a moving experience for the local audience.
Taipei-based artist Chen Cheng-tsai's (陳正才) Felicity Project is a happy one indeed. The local custom of wedding photos is much like performance art so Chen has invited 60 soon-to-be-wedded couples to shoot their wedding portfolios on site at TAV. He will make a VCD to give to the couple in exchange for participating in the project. In addition, he's asked people to submit three photos that show their happiness and which he displays on the wall.
Yeh Yi-li's (葉怡利) project is titled Kuso, a Manga word meaning "damn," which signifies the kitsch-type pop culture which is now trendy. For the opening of the exhibition, Yeh wore a bacterium-shaped white furry costume which looked like a post-nuclear bunny rabbit.
It is her intention to spread "Kuso bacteria" around the world so people will be free from stereotypes and learn not to readily accept mainstream values.
Maltese artist Norbert Francis Attard is no stranger to Taiwan as he exhibited at the Kaohsiung Container Festival in 2003. For his residency in Taiwan his project is titled Inventariums of the Intimate and is a collaboration with the local community.
Maria Rebecca Ballestra from Italy has an ironic video installation Post Mortem Human Resources. You can participate by signing a form that deeds her your body after your death in order to improve contemporary society. Even in death our bodies are a product, an object for consumption, the artist seems to say.
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist