Mind Set Art Center is currently hosting the second part of artist Juin Hsieh’s (謝鴻均) retrospective show. In From Single to Dual. From Dual to Single (一二.二一 ), Hsieh uses abstract depictions of plump female infants to draw links between bodily sensation and rational thinking.
■ Mind Set Art Center, 16-1, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段16-1號), tel: (02) 2365-6008. Tuesdays to Sunday 2pm to 6pm
■ Until Nov. 11
Photo courtesy of TK
In Frame-Painting (框 — 畫), Kevin Yu (游克文) challenges traditional ideas about painting, composition, value and artwork display. “My painting is the frame, my frame is the painting. In fact, I consider that my painting can be used as a frame itself,” Yu writes in his artist statement.
■ IT Park Gallery (伊通公園), 41 Yitong St, Taipei City (台北市伊通街41號), tel: (02) 2507-7243. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 1pm to 10pm
■ Until Nov. 17
Photo courtesy of IT Park Gallery
Made from reclaimed machine components, artist Ruey-shiann Shyu’s (徐瑞憲) mechanical sculptures engage in actions that are fluid and lifelike. The contrast between cold metal and soft, gentle movements is Shyu’s signature. Distant Rainbow (彩虹的邊線) addresses the disconnect between our memories, dreams and reality. Each work incorporates items from Shyu’s childhood, including playground equipment, school desks and furniture that belonged to his mother.
■ 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), tel: (02) 2595-7656. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:30am to 5:30pm and until 8:30pm on Saturdays. Admission: NT$30
■ Until Nov. 25
Photo courtesy of TK
Kiriko Iida’s solo show Surface Tension features the Japanese artist’s fairytale-like scenes of women in forest settings. His paintings look dreamy and serene upon first glance, but reveal darkness and danger upon closer examination.
■ Soka Art Center (索卡藝術中心), 2F, 57, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段57號2樓), tel: (02) 2570-0390. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 9pm
■ Opening reception on Saturday. Until Nov 25.
Photo courtesy of Jia Art Gallery
Tseng Ying-tung’s (曾英棟) solo exhibition Living Like a Dream (浮生若夢) showcases oil paintings and ceramic sculptures that incorporate found natural materials, such as wood, shells, sand and pollen. Tseng uses these objects to create unique textures and colors. His work encourages viewers to take a closer look at the world around them.
■ Jia Art Gallery (家畫廊), 1F-1, 30, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段30號1樓之1), tel: (02) 2591-4302. Open daily from 10am to 6pm
■ Opening reception today from 2pm to 5:30pm (guests are encouraged to wear clothes that represent the earth, such as leaves, flowers, green or bright colors). Until Dec. 10
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
Taiwan’s post-World War II architecture, “practical, cheap and temporary,” not to mention “rather forgettable.” This was a characterization recently given by Taiwan-based historian John Ross on his Formosa Files podcast. Yet the 1960s and 1970s were, in fact, the period of Taiwan’s foundational building boom, which, to a great extent, defined the look of Taiwan’s cities, determining the way denizens live today. During this period, functionalist concrete blocks and Chinese nostalgia gave way to new interpretations of modernism, large planned communities and high-rise skyscrapers. It is currently the subject of a new exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Modern
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