Transition/Mapping (過渡/映射) is a solo exhibit of paintings and photography by Chen Shiau-peng (陳曉朋) that explores the theme of mapping. The works are the product of a three-year stint in Melbourne, Australia and a residency at the Glenfiddich Distillery in Scotland. Chen says that he wants to express the “transitional” experience of living in these places through the use of various local maps, which the artists sees as symbols of a literal and figurative journey. “Through my mapping of these ‘transitional’ periods,” Chen wrote in an introductory blurb to the show, “I have not only gained understanding of new people and things, but have also rediscovered myself.”
■ IT Park Gallery (伊通公園), 41 Yitong St, Taipei City (台北市伊通街41號). Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 1pm to 10pm. Tel: (02) 2507-7243
■ Opening reception on Saturday at 7pm. Until Nov. 27
Photo courtesy of IT Park
Time Traveler (出古入今) is a solo show of new paintings by Lu Fang (盧昉). Lu’s realist works, reminiscent of Albrecht Durer’s, are painted from a blurred and warped visual perspective. By distorting some areas of the canvas, Lu forces the viewer to examine the details of each work in its entirety — a style that could be called distorted realism.
■ Mot Arts, 3F, 22, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市復興南路一段22號3樓). Open daily from 11am to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2751-8088
■ Until Dec. 5. A lecture in Mandarin on Lu’s work will take place on Nov. 13 at 3:30pm
Photo courtesy of MOT Arts
Dubbed by MOCA, Taipei as the first exhibit in Taiwan to “comprehensively present the contemporary art in India,” Finding India — Art for the New Century (發現印度—印度當代藝術特展) brings together 63 works — sculpture, painting, video, photography, installation and mixed media collage — by 29 groups of artists. The exhibit seeks to explore India’s traditions and the country’s caste system and political issues. During the exhibition period, MOCA has organized related events on Indian music, religion, literature and cinema.
■ 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 Dec. 12
Dialogue Across Time and Space (時空對畫) is an exhibit by five established Taiwanese sculptors and painters that examines the human form through abstraction, expressionism and realism. The artists are Max Liu (劉其偉), Yuyu Yang (楊英風), Winland Kuo (郭文嵐), Chi Tsung-jen (紀宗仁) and Jessica Hsu (徐畢華).
■ Capital Art Center (首都藝術中心), 2F, 343, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段343號2樓). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2775-5268
■ Until Friday
Vacuum ( 空Vacuum—台北數位藝術中心成果展) is an abstruse group exhibit at the Digital Arts Center. The center’s “fifth digital art festival,” according to CEO Huang Wen-hao (黃文浩) in a statement posted on its Web site, “is considered to be the most important festival of art.” Who else shares that opinion is unclear. Regardless, the five exhibiting artists, who work in high-definition animation and interactive installation, purport to examine the purpose and function of the Digital Arts Center within a changing art environment.
■ 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 Nov. 7
About 40, 50, 60 … (關於40,50,60…) brings together painters Wong Ming-jer (翁明哲), Chang Chen-yu (張振宇), Chang Yu-ming (張韻明) and John Lu (盧怡仲) in a group exhibit whose central theme revolves around the respective age of the artists and the differences in their art.
■ Mingshan Art (名山藝術) is located in Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山創意園區), 1, Bade Rd, Sec 1, Taipei (台北市八德路一段1號). Open daily from 11am to 7:30pm. Tel: (02) 3322-2988
■ Until Nov. 15
A few weeks ago I found myself at a Family Mart talking with the morning shift worker there, who has become my coffee guy. Both of us were in a funk over the “unseasonable” warm weather, a state of mind known as “solastalgia” — distress produced by environmental change. In fact, the weather was not that out of the ordinary in boiling Central Taiwan, and likely cooler than the temperatures we will experience in the near-future. According to the Taiwan Adaptation Platform, between 1957 and 2006, summer lengthened by 27.8 days, while winter shrunk by 29.7 days. Winter is not
A sultry sea mist blankets New Taipei City as I pedal from Tamsui District (淡水) up the coast. This might not be ideal beach weather but it’s fine weather for riding –– the cloud cover sheltering arms and legs from the scourge of the subtropical sun. The dedicated bikeway that connects downtown Taipei with the west coast of New Taipei City ends just past Fisherman’s Wharf (漁人碼頭) so I’m not the only cyclist jostling for space among the SUVs and scooters on National Highway No. 2. Many Lycra-clad enthusiasts are racing north on stealthy Giants and Meridas, rounding “the crown coast”
March 25 to March 31 A 56-year-old Wu Li Yu-ke (吳李玉哥) was straightening out her artist son’s piles of drawings when she inadvertently flipped one over, revealing the blank backside of the paper. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a pencil and recalled how she used to sketch embroidery designs for her clothing business. Without clients and budget or labor constraints to worry about, Wu Li drew freely whatever image came to her mind. With much more free time now that her son had found a job, she found herself missing her home village in China, where she
In recent years, Slovakia has been seen as a highly democratic and Western-oriented Central European country. This image was reinforced by the election of the country’s first female president in 2019, efforts to provide extensive assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with Taiwan, all of which strengthened Slovakia’s position within the European Union. However, the latest developments in the country suggest that the situation is changing rapidly. As such, the presidential elections to be held on March 23 will be an indicator of whether Slovakia remains in the Western sphere of influence or moves eastward, notably towards Russia and