Sixty paintings from the Boston-based Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) are currently on display at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park. Created not by acclaimed artists but ordinary people, these works boast oddities, absurdities or simply ugliness — qualities that are equally as eye-catching as exquisite fine art.
The museum numbers more than 600 pieces in its permanent collection, many of them purchased from thrift shops, yard sales and secondhand stores. Part of the collection was donated by its creators, while some were retrieved from rubbish bins.
To be accepted by MOBA, the work must be original, have had no prior appearance in a museum or gallery, and possess a certain attention-grabbing quality.
Photos Courtesy of Kuan Hung Arts
For example, Mama and Babe — a half-length portrait of two females with rigid facial contours — screams contrasting colors of red and green. Its title suggests that the figures are mother and daughter, and the explanatory panel indicates that the mother is a parody of a former US first lady.
Poor execution of artistic expression doesn’t guarantee a ticket to MOBA’s collection. Pablo Presley was selected for showcasing a version of Elvis Presley that’s different from the typical Elvis-in-black-velvet portraits found in many souvenir shops, says the exhibition catalog. The creator of this painting, Bonnie Daly, had taken another approach, interpreting the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the style of Pablo Picasso.
Some paintings look like nothing special until closer examination. Red Rose Serenade features a piano keyboard with incorrectly arranged keys — an oddity that begs an observant eye to detect it.
Photos Courtesy of Kuan Hung Arts
The exhibition includes several imitations of masterpieces. Badminton Anyone? vaguely resembles 18th-century French painter Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin’s Girl with Shuttlecock in terms of composition. But Badminton Anyone? features a boyish-looking woman and a modern-day racquet that stray from the original big-time, and its far-from-competent technique evokes a smile.
Even though MOBA seems to imply there’s a such thing as “bad art,” its underlying message calls for an open-minded spirit in art appreciation. By showing ordinary paintings that were never meant to enter fine art museums or to be displayed in public, MOBA questions what qualifies as art. Amateur artists may lack the sophisticated drawing skill of professionals, but the value of their works isn’t necessarily lesser.
That being said, many of the explanatory panels in this exhibition illuminate not only how MOBA acquired the work but also provide art commentary, which either leads or limits the viewer’s mind. Instead of including commentary on the panels, curators should have set up a separate section for such information to avoid explaining too much on the spot.
Photos Courtesy of Kuan Hung Arts
Another problem is that the 60 paintings are categorized into 11 sections based on confusing, often capricious criteria. For instance, paintings in the Poker Area don’t really have anything to do with the card game, but are simply presented on large poker cards. Other sections such as the Furnace Area, Bed Area and Spider Net Area are home to paintings that would otherwise have been burnt, hidden under the bed or covered by a spider net, but the value of grouping paintings in this way was lost for this reviewer. Without this extra layer of meaning imposed on the paintings, MOBA’s message might have been more accessible.
Photos Courtesy of Kuan Hung Arts
Photos Courtesy of Kuan Hung Arts
Photos Courtesy of Kuan Hung Arts
Late last month Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro told the Philippine Senate that the nation has sufficient funds to evacuate the nearly 170,000 Filipino residents in Taiwan, 84 percent of whom are migrant workers, in the event of war. Agencies have been exploring evacuation scenarios since early this year, she said. She also observed that since the Philippines has only limited ships, the government is consulting security agencies for alternatives. Filipinos are a distant third in overall migrant worker population. Indonesia has over 248,000 workers, followed by roughly 240,000 Vietnamese. It should be noted that there are another 170,000
Hannah Liao (廖宸萱) recalls the harassment she experienced on dating apps, an experience that left her frightened and disgusted. “I’ve tried some voice-based dating apps,” the 30-year-old says. “Right away, some guys would say things like, ‘Wanna talk dirty?’ or ‘Wanna suck my d**k?’” she says. Liao’s story is not unique. Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics show a more than 50 percent rise in sexual assault cases related to online encounters over the past five years. In 2023 alone, women comprised 7,698 of the 9,413 reported victims. Faced with a dating landscape that can feel more predatory than promising, many in
“This is one of those rare bits of TikTok fitness advice with a lot of truth behind it,” says Bethan Crouse, performance nutritionist at Loughborough University. “Sometimes it’s taken a bit too literally, though! You see people chugging protein drinks as they’re scanning out of their gym.” Crouse recommends the athletes she works with consume 20-30g of protein within 30-60 minutes of finishing a resistance training session. “The act of exercising our muscles increases the breakdown of muscle proteins,” she says. “In order to restore, or hopefully improve them — and get gains such as increased muscle mass or strength —
Enter the Dragon 13 will bring Taiwan’s first taste of Dirty Boxing Sunday at Taipei Gymnasium, one highlight of a mixed-rules card blending new formats with traditional MMA. The undercard starts at 10:30am, with the main card beginning at 4pm. Tickets are NT$1,200. Dirty Boxing is a US-born ruleset popularized by fighters Mike Perry and Jon Jones as an alternative to boxing. The format has gained traction overseas, with its inaugural championship streamed free to millions on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. Taiwan’s version allows punches and elbows with clinch striking, but bans kicks, knees and takedowns. The rules are stricter than the
RSS