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
Following the rollercoaster ride of 2025, next year is already shaping up to be dramatic. The ongoing constitutional crises and the nine-in-one local elections are already dominating the landscape. The constitutional crises are the ones to lose sleep over. Though much business is still being conducted, crucial items such as next year’s budget, civil servant pensions and the proposed eight-year NT$1.25 trillion (approx US$40 billion) special defense budget are still being contested. There are, however, two glimmers of hope. One is that the legally contested move by five of the eight grand justices on the Constitutional Court’s ad hoc move
Stepping off the busy through-road at Yongan Market Station, lights flashing, horns honking, I turn down a small side street and into the warm embrace of my favorite hole-in-the-wall gem, the Hoi An Banh Mi shop (越南會安麵包), red flags and yellow lanterns waving outside. “Little sister, we were wondering where you’ve been, we haven’t seen you in ages!” the owners call out with a smile. It’s been seven days. The restaurant is run by Huang Jin-chuan (黃錦泉), who is married to a local, and her little sister Eva, who helps out on weekends, having also moved to New Taipei
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) told legislators last week that because the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) are continuing to block next year’s budget from passing, the nation could lose 1.5 percent of its GDP growth next year. According to the DGBAS report, officials presented to the legislature, the 2026 budget proposal includes NT$299.2 billion in funding for new projects and funding increases for various government functions. This funding only becomes available when the legislature approves it. The DGBAS estimates that every NT$10 billion in government money not spent shaves 0.05 percent off
Dec. 29 to Jan. 4 Like the Taoist Baode Temple (保德宮) featured in last week’s column, there’s little at first glance to suggest that Taipei’s Independence Presbyterian Church in Xinbeitou (自立長老會新北投教會) has Indigenous roots. One hint is a small sign on the facade reading “Ketagalan Presbyterian Mission Association” — Ketagalan being an collective term for the Pingpu (plains Indigenous) groups who once inhabited much of northern Taiwan. Inside, a display on the back wall introduces the congregation’s founder Pan Shui-tu (潘水土), a member of the Pingpu settlement of Kipatauw, and provides information about the Ketagalan and their early involvement with Christianity. Most
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