Art Kaohsiung (高雄駁二藝術博覽會) opens today for the third year in a row at Kaohsiung’s Pier-2, a cluster of old warehouses by the harbor revamped into a hipster and artsy arts center. Approximately 110 contemporary galleries from across Asia, Europe and the US will be represented this year, with artworks that range from brush painting to avant garde installations. Like last year, Taipei galleries such as Liang Gallery, Chini Gallery and InRiver Gallery, will feature prominently. There will also be more galleries from Malaysia and Japan at this year’s fair.
■ Pier-2 Art Center (駁二藝術特區), 1 Dayong Rd, Kaohsiung (高雄市大勇路1號), tel: (07) 228-8936. Open today and tomorrow from 11am to 7pm and Sunday from 11am to 6pm
■ Until Sunday. Admission: NT$150
Photo courtesy of Lin & Lin Gallery
Lin & Lin Gallery will be looking rather cheery this weekend with Lai Chiu-chen’s (賴九岑) colorful cartoons enlivening the gallery walls. The exhibition, The Twelve Apostles (十二使徒), is indeed a play on the 12 apostles from the Bible, and the message they are spreading is to not be afraid of being your silly self. The “apostles” in the 12 paintings are all caught in embarrassing situations — the second apostle steals some jam, the sixth apostle spaces out. Although the paintings seem light-hearted and are intended to make viewers smile more than ponder deeply, there is still an underlying message, which is that we are all flawed.
■ Lin & Lin Gallery (大未來林舍畫廊), 16, Dongfeng St, Taipei City (台北市東豐街16號), tel: (02) 2700-6866. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Opens tomorrow. Until Jan. 3
Photo courtesy of Tina Keng Gallery
Jonah O’Donnell’s haunting prints from his travels around the world are currently on display at Cafe Vergismeinnich. Entitled Emography, it appears to be riffing off the word “ethnography.” O’Donnell is particularly skilled at capturing the emotions on the faces of his subjects — many of which are children — whether through the use of black-and-white photography or overexposed light. The children’s faces tell stories and we see the world through their eyes, which often means finding happiness in sheer simplicity. What’s ironic is that while O’Donnell’s prints have anti-imperialist names, they evoke late 19th century photographs that document the Western explorer’s journeys through the East.
■ Cafe Vergismeinnich, 92, Aiguo E Rd, Taipei City (台北市愛國東路92號), tel: (02)3322-3036. Open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 12pm to 9pm, Fridays from 12pm to 12am, Saturdays from 11am to 12am and Sundays from 11am to 9pm
■ Until Jan. 6
Photo courtesy of Cafe Vergismeinnich
In January, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum featured Chinese artist Cai Zhisong’s (蔡志松) fiber-glass and metal sculptures of Qin Dynasty warriors and servants converted into modern-day men striking some very suggestive poses. Unfortunately, none of those pieces are on display at Cai’s latest exhibition at Tina Keng Gallery. Instead, Floating Rose (浮世玫瑰) features Cai’s Rose series, a collection of lead sculptures carved to resemble roses, in order to symbolize the “exquisite yet poignantly fragile” nature of love, according to the gallery notes. The choice of material is interesting, as lead is anything but soft and dainty, but the contrast just makes Cai’s message all the more powerful.
■ Tina Keng Gallery (耿畫廊), 15, Ln 548, Ruiguang Rd, Taipei City (台北市瑞光路548巷15號), tel: (02) 2659-0798. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm
■ Until Jan. 17
TKG+ is currently featuring two generations of female artists whose artwork encompasses Chinese painting, in their latest exhibition entitled Plus II — Chiang Yomei + Charwei Tsai (Plus II — 蔣友梅 + 蔡佳葳). Born in 1961, Chinese-Russian-German artist Chiang Yomei’s (蔣友梅) abstract and chaotic paintings are influenced by a combination of her Buddhist beliefs, as well as her fascination with alchemy and rituals. Chiang is also a published poet in both English and Chinese, a sensibility which is translated in her paintings through intense brush strokes and light-dark contrast. Born in 1980, Charwei Tsai (蔡佳葳) also says she is influenced by Buddhism and particularly the Buddhist concept of “emptiness,” but doesn’t describe herself as “religious.” Tsai uses black ink to paint characters on objects such as seashells and plants.
■ TKG+ Projects, B1, 15, Ln 548, Ruiguang Rd, Taipei City (台北市瑞光路548巷15號B1), tel: (02) 2659-0798. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Until Feb. 4
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