Qin Qi’s (秦琦) representational oil paintings, which contain impressionistic flourishes, communicate a concern with politics, authority and the direction of China’s brand of socialism, particularly its influence on interpersonal relationships and the natural environment. The Chinese artist’s solo show at Gallery J Chen consists of landscapes, cityscapes and interiors.
■ 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3樓). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2781-0959
■ Until Feb. 20
Photo courtesy of Gallery J Chen
Jia-Hsin (家興) is a series of kaleidoscopic images and videos by Wu Chang-jung (吳長蓉) based on the daily life of the artist’s family. The collage-like works record and illustrate how her family came to terms with financial difficulties following the 2008 economic crisis.
■ Project Fulfill Art Space (就在藝術空間), 2, Alley 45, Ln 147, Xinyi Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市信義路三段147巷45弄2號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2325-0023
■ Until Feb. 20
Melody of Color is a solo exhibition of landscape paintings by Chen Min-tse (陳敏澤). Chen’s vibrant canvases depict the changing of the seasons.
■ Art Den (藝研齋), 3F, 309, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段309號3樓). For a viewing call (02) 2325-8188
■ Until March 5
The experience of traveling and living in European cities is the primary theme of Traces of Wandering Thoughts (「異」「想」軌跡), a group exhibition of paintings by Kevin Yu (游克文), Chen Luo-ke (陳羅克) and Keng Hao-kang (耿皓剛). The artists draw on Europe’s various artistic traditions — collage, expressionism and classicism — to express their thoughts.
■ 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 Feb. 20
The Tibetan Dragon Sutra (龍藏 — 院藏大藏經特展), a handwritten sutra in gold ink commissioned by the Emperor Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty, is currently on display at the National Palace Museum. In six parts, the sutra is a translation of all the teachings and laws that are said to have been written by the Gautama Buddha, one of India’s most revered spiritual teachers.
■ National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), 221, Zhishan Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市至善路二段221號). Open daily from 9am to 5pm. Tel: (02) 2881-2021. Admission: NT$160
■ Until July 17
Folklorist, litterateur, artisan and painter, Shi Sung’s (奚淞) oeuvre spans diverse mediums and interests — all marked by an interest in Buddhism. Heart and Hand (心與手三部曲), his first solo show at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, showcases his still life drawings, oil paintings based on Buddhist stories, woodcut prints and his latest Guanyin (觀音) outline drawings.
■ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM — 台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open daily from 9am to 10pm. Tel: (02) 2595-7656. General admission is free
■ Until April 3
The ritual of breaking bread with strangers underlies Potlucks (一家一菜來晚餐), a series of installations by Wu Fang-yi (吳芳義). Wu’s sculptures are fashioned from common dinner table objects — napkins, place mats and cutlery — using an art deco sensibility.
■ Treasure Hill Artist Village’s (寶藏巖國際藝術村) Cross Gallery (十字藝廊), 49, Ln 230, Dingzhou Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市汀州路三段230巷49號). Tel: (02) 2363-5313
■ Until March 27
Note: Most galleries and museums will be closed during the Lunar New Year holiday, which runs from Feb. 2 to Feb. 7.
Last week Joseph Nye, the well-known China scholar, wrote on the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s website about how war over Taiwan might be averted. He noted that years ago he was on a team that met with then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), “whose previous ‘unofficial’ visit to the US had caused a crisis in which China fired missiles into the sea and the US deployed carriers off the coast of Taiwan.” Yes, that’s right, mighty Chen caused that crisis all by himself. Neither the US nor the People’s Republic of China (PRC) exercised any agency. Nye then nostalgically invoked the comical specter
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