Taiwan Art Raise shows off work by some of the country’s top contemporary artists. The group exhibit features new pieces by digital photographer Wu Tien-chang (吳天章), surrealist painter Kuo Wei-kuo (郭維國), sculptor Yang Mao-lin (楊茂林) and paper-cutting artist Liu Shih-tung (劉時棟). It also displays a video installation by Chen Chieh-jen (陳界仁) and a number of Tu Wei-cheng’s (涂維政) sculptures, to name a few of 15 artists represented. Anyone interested in an overview of Taiwan’s established artists and the variegated themes they explore should not miss this show.
■ Lin & Lin Gallery (大未來林舍畫廊), 13, Ln 252, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段252巷13號). Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 7pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2721-8488
■ Until April 14
Cute takes on a sinister aspect in Eddie Bear® — Eddie Kang’s Life Play, a new series of acrylic paintings and handmade dolls by South Korean artist Eddie Kang. Working in the Asian pop art tradition known in Taiwan as animamix, a portmanteau of “animation” and “comics,” Kang’s current show uses his trademark teddy bears to reflect on the oppressive nature of overpopulated urban environments that appear at times spooky and at times benign, though always rendered with a touch of the adorable.
■ Metaphysical Art Gallery (形而上畫廊), 7F, 219, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段219號7樓). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6:30pm. Tel: (02) 2711-0055
■ Until April 18
After months of studio work, four artists will present their creations as part of AIR, an acronym meaning “artists in residence.” The two Japanese artists, Shimura Nobuhiro and Kenji Ide, create installations that reflect on different aspects of Taiwan. New Zealand artist Mary-Louise Browne examines memory and space with her “memory objects,” while compatriot Andy Leleisiuao’s psychologically rich representational paintings offer his own take on sentimental issues.
■ Barry Room, Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村百里廳), 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號). Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 3393-7377
■ Until April 25
Surplus Enjoyment combines six recent projects by Bulgaria-born, Paris-based artists Nina Kovacheva and Valentin Stefanoff. They explore through video installation the excess of desire they see in contemporary society and its effects on human relationships.
■ Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA, Taipei), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2552-3720. Admission: NT$50
■ Until April 25
Five photographers come together in Between History and Tale: Contemporary Photography (歷史與寓言之間:當代攝影展). Japan’s Miwa Yanagi creates elaborate staged photographs of women at various stages of life, while Turkish photographer Lale Tara photographs women in rundown buildings. Chen Shun-chu’s (陳順築) achromatic images tackle the themes of life and death, and Shilpa Gupta examines desire within the context of global capitalism. Nandini Valli Muthiah’s heavily saturated photographs offer both a sentimental and kitschy look at Indian mythology and religion.
■ Sakshi Gallery (夏可喜當代藝術), 33 Yitong Street, Taipei City (台北市伊通街33號). Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 1:30pm to 9:30pm, Sundays from 1:30pm to 7:30pm. Tel: (02) 2516-5386
■ Until May 2
Wang Chung-kun’s (王仲堃) solo exhibit, + - * / at the Digital Art Center is a sound installation that through aural repetition is meant to transport the listener into a state of mind-numbing contemplation.
■ Digital Arts Center (台北數位藝術中心), 180 Fuhua Rd, Taipei City (台北市福華路180號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 7736-0708
■ Until April 11
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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
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