Viewpoints & Viewing Points — 2009 Asian Art Biennial (觀點與「觀」點 — 2009亞洲藝術雙年展) invites 56 artists, filmmakers and production teams from 20 Asian-Pacific countries to present a total of 145 works of painting, installation art, sculpture, digital arts, animation and documentary. The featured creations demonstrate the artists’ unique observations of contemporary culture and society.
This year’s biennial explores how the multiplicity of perspectives enriches contemporary artistic norms. The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (國立台灣美術館) in Taichung will also host a series of related events to introduce discourses from different cultural backgrounds. These include a Summit Forum on Asian Arts, an International Symposium and guided tours.
■ National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung (國立台灣美術館), 2, Wuchuan W Rd Sec 1, Taichung City (台中市五權西路一段2號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm. Tel: (04) 2372-3552
■ On the Net: www.asianartbiennial.org
■ Until Feb. 28
Domesticated felines are the central protagonists in Lin Rong-fan’s (林宗範) series of paintings and sculptures in his solo exhibit In Search of a Happy Utopia (尋找幸福的烏托邦). Whether surveying an autumnal landscape from the roof of a temple or watching fireworks discharged off the side of Taipei 101, Lin’s cats observe the world’s diversity in all its fleeting moments.
■ Fish Art Center (秋刀魚藝術中心), 137 Jihu Rd, Taipei City (台北市基湖路137號). Open Sundays to Fridays from 11am to 10:30pm. Tel: (02) 2532-3800
■ Until Friday
New Terracotta Warriors (新兵馬俑) brings together the work of Liu Fenghua (劉風華) and Liu Yong (劉勇), two contemporary Chinese artists. The pair employ a pop art sensibility by adorning replica sculptures of terra-cotta warriors with the images of iconic personalities from the East and West, including Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Mao Zedong (毛澤東) and Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).
■ Caves Gallery (敦煌畫廊), 18, Ln 70, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市新生南路二段70巷18號). Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10:30am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2396-7030
■ Until Saturday
Chinese contemporary artist Ye Yongqing’s (葉永青) restrained canvases of birds and fishes contemplate nature and rural life. These paintings are complemented by expressionist works that merge Western and Chinese influences.
■ Gallery J. Chen, 3F, 40, Ln 161, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段161巷40號3F). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2781-0959
■ Until Nov. 15
Searching Istanbul (色取依斯坦堡) is a group exhibit that brings together five artists from Turkey working in paint and mixed media. Although the title mentions only the country’s largest city, the exhibition provides a glimpse of some of Turkey’s hottest emerging artists: Ergin Inan, Ertugrul Ates, Mehmet Gun, Onay Akbas and Tanju Demirci.
■ Wingrow Art Gallery (萬菓國際藝術公司), 5, Ln 175, Da-an Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市大安路一段175巷5號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2325-8253
■ Until Nov. 22
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