Tomorrow is the opening of In the Other Place (於他方), a joint exhibition at Kalos Gallery featuring the works of Chiow Liang-cherng (邱梁城) and Huang Pin-ling (黃品玲) that is inspired by Czech writer Milan Kundera’s novel Life Is Elsewhere, which centers on a protagonist who is obsessed with recording his observations through poetry. Likewise, Chiow’s sculptures and Huang’s paintings provide visual documentation of their own personal journeys of self-discovery. Chiow started as a painter but switched to clay when he realized he could better convey the sense of disconnect between people and their natural surroundings. Huang’s subdued palate is inspired by her travels around the world and her memories surrounding those travels.
■ Kalos Gallery (真善美畫廊), 269, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段269號), tel: (02) 2836-3452. Open daily from 10am to 6:30pm
■ Opens tomorrow. Until Nov. 26
Photo courtesy of Kalos Gallery
Wen Yueh-bing’s (溫岳彬) ash-white sculptures in Evolution (演化論) may appear soft as sand but they are made with Carrara marble from the Italian Alps. Wen fell in love with the material when he moved to Carrara in 1997 and resolved to use it in his artwork — something which he continues to do despite having returned Taiwan a few years ago. There are three series on display: Pillow Series, Seashell Series and Seed Series. Wen sees his creative process involves constantly learning and growing. As Wen puts it: “Being able to preserve simple thoughts has always been the core of my creations.”
■ A Gallery (當代一畫廊), 22, Alley 36, Lane 147, Xinyi Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市信義路三段147巷36弄22號), tel: (02) 2702-3327. Open Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 6pm
■ Until Dec. 10
Photo courtesy of TFAM
I Do! (藝見衷情) is a joint exhibition of works by three Aboriginal artists spanning three generations. The cheery exhibition title is meant to convey a sense of togetherness and unity — concepts that are integral to Aboriginal communities. Paiwan artist Pahaolan Chilan retells myths and stories of his people through modern — and often humorous — paintings and sculptures. Atayal artist Miru Hayung’s paintings colorful and hope-filled paintings revolve around a central motif — the Atayal people’s fishing gear. Rainbows feature prominently, as do mountains and skies. One Heart is particularly striking, as it blends the faces of many different people such that it appears that some are sharing an eye or a nose, and thus conveying a sense of communal spirit. The name “Miru” also means “writing and painting,” something that the artist says he feels compelled to carry out. Finally, Bunan artist Subali Ismahasan’s colorful abstract works are actually inspired by Typhoon Morakot, which nearly destroyed his hometown of Namasiya District (那瑪夏) in Kaohsiung. His paintings seem to suggest that although rebuilding is a tedious process it’s also one that’s worthwhile and inherently beautiful.
■ International Pavilion of Indigenous Arts and Cultures (原民風味館) 151, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段151號), tel: (02) 2599-2655. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Until Dec. 18
Photo courtesy of International Pavilion of Indigenous Arts and Cultures
40 Years of Art (40藝程), which opens tomorrow at Jia Art Gallery, is the culmination of art collector Raymond Wang’s (王賜勇) more than four decades of collecting fine art by Taiwanese and Chinese artists. Wang was introduced to the hobby by his father, who acquired his first paintings when Wang was 15 years old. Included in the exhibition are works by Hung Jui-lin (洪瑞麟), who painted anything from still life to more graphic depictions of men being tortured. Also on display are works of Pan Yuliang (潘玉良) who was one of the first female Chinese artists to paint in a Western style, as well as Taiwanese artist Richard Lin (林壽宇), who was renowned for his abstract, minimalist paintings inspired by Buddhist virtues such as stillness and silence.
■ 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. Exhibition viewing is by appointment only
■ Opens tomorrow. Until Jan. 21
Photo courtesy of Jia Art Gallery
Opening at TFAM tomorrow is a riveting exhibition, Line of Vision (另一種目線), featuring the works of Wang Hsin (王信) and spanning her 45-year career as a documentary photographer. Wang started by photographing Seediq Aborigines in the tiny village of Wushe (霧社) and the Tao Aborigines in Orchid Island in the early to mid-1970s. She traveled around Taiwan, photographing both urban and rural communities before switching to color photography during her travels to India and Nepal in the early 1980s. Both Wang’s black-and-white portraits and her color landscapes capture both hope and despair, but most importantly, they convey a sense of the humanity and a feeling that no matter how people of other cultures may seem, we’re all essentially the same.
■ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM, 台北市立美術館), 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
■ Opens tomorrow. Until March 5
Photo courtesy of A Gallery
Photo courtesy of Kalos Gallery
Photo courtesy of Jia Art Gallery
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