Ubiquitous Blessings of Fenghuang — Porcelain and the Phoenix in Culture and Creativity (鳳鳴八方—瓷工藝的文化創意演繹) brings together porcelain, ceramics, jade, textiles and other artifacts from throughout Chinese history to illustrate the mythological and symbolic importance of the phoenix in art. The exhibit is on the National Museum of History’s second floor. On the fourth floor, The Seal Collection of Shinde-yinhui (欣得印彙藏印展) displays more than 500 seals dating back to antiquity. Biographies of famous seal engravers — as well as calligraphy and painting done by these artists — from the Ming and Qing dynasties reveal the general development of the medium and place it in its historical context.
■ National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei City (台北市南海路49號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2361-0270. Admission is NT$30
■ Ubiquitous Blessings of Fenghuang ends July 4, the Seal Collection ends June 13
Contemporary painter and curator Lai Hsin-lung (賴新龍) splashes fragments from his unconscious on the canvas in his solo exhibit of oil paintings at La Chambre Art Gallery. Lai’s expressionist works of soaring birds and vague landscapes suggest an artist in touch with nature.
■ La Chambre Art Gallery (小室藝廊), 31, Ln 52, Siwei Rd, Taipei City (台北市四維路52巷31號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2700-3689
■ Until June 5
Animated Images (動畫藝術展) presents the recent work of seven artists from Belgium, Switzerland, China, Germany and the US working in photography, animation, film, video installation and the graphic novel. The exhibit explores contemporary uses of various mediums that both comment on and employ animation as a means of examining various aspects of society — often with an activist’s bent — such as environmental degradation, excessive consumption and the increased homogenization of culture under the influences of global capitalism.
■ 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 Sunday
Lost in the City (城市失格) offers a mystical and nostalgic look at cities across the world through the paintings of three contemporary award-winning artists: Shiau Bei-chen (蕭北辰) Hsu Pei-cheng (�?�) and Liao Zen-ping (廖震平).
■ Galerie Grand Siecle (新苑藝術), 17, Alley 51, Ln 12, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段12巷51弄17號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2578-5630
■ Until June 1
Yang Po-lin (楊柏林), an emerging sculptor whose work is on public display at the Presidential Office, Hsinchu Science Park and Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, continues his creation of monumental sculptures with Here I Am (我在這裏). Yang’s sculptures project a warm sense of earthiness and show a profound concern for the environment and humanity. The sculpture on which the title of this exhibition is based employs an inflatable device in the shape of Taiwan — symbolizing the country’s need to stand up and face external pressures.
■ 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 is NT$50
■ Until June 6
Contemporary Chinese painter (or “art worker” as he prefers) Ying Yefu (嬰野賦) makes his Taiwan debut with Appetizer (頭盤). Employing gongbi (工筆), a meticulous and highly detailed brush technique found in traditional Chinese painting, Ying’s work explores the pain of others through disturbing images of children in various acts of love and violence.
■ 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 June 16
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
Ahead of incoming president William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20 there appear to be signs that he is signaling to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that the Chinese side is also signaling to the Taiwan side. This raises a lot of questions, including what is the CCP up to, who are they signaling to, what are they signaling, how with the various actors in Taiwan respond and where this could ultimately go. In the last column, published on May 2, we examined the curious case of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweight Tseng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) — currently vice premier
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
Last week the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) released a set of very strange numbers on Taiwan’s wealth distribution. Duly quoted in the Taipei Times, the report said that “The Gini coefficient for Taiwanese households… was 0.606 at the end of 2021, lower than Australia’s 0.611, the UK’s 0.620, Japan’s 0.678, France’s 0.676 and Germany’s 0.727, the agency said in a report.” The Gini coefficient is a measure of relative inequality, usually of wealth or income, though it can be used to evaluate other forms of inequality. However, for most nations it is a number from .25 to .50