Flawless (無缺) is a solo exhibition of wood sculptures by Miaoli County native Chiu Shih-fu (邱仕福). Chiu learned to chisel at age 13 as a child laborer and has worked in the industry for 47 years. He specializes in figures of humans and animals, styled in lyrical lines that echo western Romanticism. They typically appear in pairs so as to keep each other company, according to the gallery notes.
■ Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum (三義木雕博物館), 88 Kuangsheng Hsincheng, Kuangsheng Village, Sanyi Township, Miaoli County (苗栗縣三義鄉廣盛村廣聲新城88號), tel: (037) 876-009. Open Mondays to Saturdays from 9am to 5pm. Admission: NT$80, NT$50 for Miaoli residents
■ Until Nov. 30
Photo Courtesy of Metaphysical Art Gallery
Sound State (聲態) collects new experiments by sound art pioneer Wang Fu-jui (王福瑞). Five pieces explore the possibilities of sound: One converts audio vibrations to visuals on a TV set, while another uses false computing protocols to generate true random noise that is emancipated from the machine. Wang is head of the Trans-Sonic Lab of the Taipei National University of the Arts and founder of Noise, the first noise/experimental music label in Taiwan.
■ Digital Art Center (台北數位藝術中心), 180 Fuhua Rd, Taipei City (台北市福華路180號), tel: (02) 7736-0708. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm, except Nov. 28 and Nov. 29. Free admission
■ Until Dec. 28
Photo Courtesy of DAC, Taipei
The Sun Never Sets (日不落) is a career retrospective for acclaimed oil painter Wang Pan-youn (王攀元). Born in 1911 in Jiangsu (江蘇), the artist immigrated in 1949 to Yilan County, where he still lives today. Wang’s war-shaped life story has appeared in his work as an inflammatory color palette and the use of negative space to create an aura of isolation.
■ Metaphysical Art Gallery (形而上畫廊), 7F, 219, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段219號7樓), tel: (02) 2771-3236. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6:30pm, closed on Mondays
■ Opens tomorrow. Until Dec. 20
Coordinated with Switzerland’s Kindermuseum Creaviva at the Zentrum Paul Klee, Get Rhythm with Paul Klee is an interactive exhibit and workshop series for children aged 4 to 15. The program introduces youth to Swiss-German artist Paul Klee via game stations, painting studios and dance workshops led by the Cloud Gate Dance School. Klee is known for his striking use of color, lines, symbols and musical themes on the canvas, which help make his catalog accessible to children. To register for activities, visit www.tfam.museum/kid.
■ Children’s Art Education Center at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (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
■ Opens tomorrow. Until April 12
Greater Kaohsiung native Huang Hua-chen (黃華真) presents From Now On (全新的你), a mixed media solo exhibition inspired by the artist’s study abroad trip to Finland last year. In new paintings, installations and video work, Huang depicts seemingly sentient plants and gem-like carved rocks that exude warmth.
■ VT Art Salon (非常廟藝文空間), B1, 47 Yitong St, Taipei City (台北市伊通街47號B1), tel: (02) 2516-1060. Open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 1:30pm to 9pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 1:30pm to 10pm
■ Until Dec. 6
My New Eros (我的新愛神EROS!) is a group show of photos themed on love (戀愛) or sexuality (性感). Contributors include professional photographer Jimmy Ming Shum (沈平林) from Hong Kong, as well as amateur shutterbugs such as talk-show host Huang Tzu-chiao (黃子佼). All proceeds from sales go to charity.
■ Little MOCA (微當代文創), 17, Ln 17, Chengde Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (臺北市承德路一段41巷17號), tel: (02) 2558-1787 Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6pm
■ Until Dec. 27
The Taipei Times last week reported that the rising share of seniors in the population is reshaping the nation’s housing markets. According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, about 850,000 residences were occupied by elderly people in the first quarter, including 655,000 that housed only one resident. H&B Realty chief researcher Jessica Hsu (徐佳馨), quoted in the article, said that there is rising demand for elderly-friendly housing, including units with elevators, barrier-free layouts and proximity to healthcare services. Hsu and others cited in the article highlighted the changing family residential dynamics, as children no longer live with parents,
The classic warmth of a good old-fashioned izakaya beckons you in, all cozy nooks and dark wood finishes, as tables order a third round and waiters sling tapas-sized bites and assorted — sometimes unidentifiable — skewered meats. But there’s a romantic hush about this Ximending (西門町) hotspot, with cocktails savored, plating elegant and never rushed and daters and diners lit by candlelight and chandelier. Each chair is mismatched and the assorted tables appear to be the fanciest picks from a nearby flea market. A naked sewing mannequin stands in a dimly lit corner, adorned with antique mirrors and draped foliage
The election of Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) as chair of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) marked a triumphant return of pride in the “Chinese” in the party name. Cheng wants Taiwanese to be proud to call themselves Chinese again. The unambiguous winner was a return to the KMT ideology that formed in the early 2000s under then chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) put into practice as far as he could, until ultimately thwarted by hundreds of thousands of protestors thronging the streets in what became known as the Sunflower movement in 2014. Cheng is an unambiguous Chinese ethnonationalist,
I was 10 when I read an article in the local paper about the Air Guitar World Championships, which take place every year in my home town of Oulu, Finland. My parents had helped out at the very first contest back in 1996 — my mum gave out fliers, my dad sorted the music. Since then, national championships have been held all across the world, with the winners assembling in Oulu every summer. At the time, I asked my parents if I could compete. At first they were hesitant; the event was in a bar, and there would be a lot