Misty (墨嵐) is an exhibition of recent works by Lo Chan-peng (羅展鵬). Unlike his previous oil paintings, Lo has developed a simple balance between ink and acrylic. The result is a series of monochromatic portraits of biblical figures: Jesus Christ, Paul the Apostle, Moses and Joshua. The use of negative space cleverly converges realism with sensual abstraction. Brisk strokes on the surface create a melodious flow, exploring ideas and qualities of divinity such as omnipotence and omniscience through an art lens that is poetically liturgical.
■ Daguan Gallery (大觀藝術空間), 16, Ln 69, Jingye 2nd Rd, Taipei City (台北市敬業二路69巷16號), tel: (02) 8501-5677. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:30am to 6:30pm
■ Opens tomorrow. Until July 30
Photo courtesy of Soka Art Center
Chinese artist Shen Liang (申亮) takes tradition to a new level with acrylic, neon lighting and digital print on paper in Neon Landscapes (山水也霓虹). The tiny light bulbs on the paintings can be interpreted as an analogy of society’s obsession with progress and technology. This reflection on social and cultural issues in China results in a humorous series of works with found images from classical Chinese art history. Consumerism, counterfeiting and the abuse or misuse of cultural heritage suggest a distortion of past and future, issues that Shen and his peers are constantly pondering.
■ 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 July 30
Photo courtesy of Chini Gallery
Chou Yao-tung’s (周耀東) acrylic and oil paintings in Carnal Conditions in Mystic Lands (人 · 性 秘境) explore the boundaries between humans, deities and animals. The faceless figures exist in a mysterious tableau that is neither heaven, hell or the Garden of Eden, while the black and red coloring suggest carnal desires. Contrary to his explicit paintings of sex and metamorphic genitals, his concept here is clear: to depict a liminal state where nothing is impossible.
■ Tang Feng Gallery at Meet Art Space (唐豐藝術中心 藝聚空間), B1, 4 Alley 17, Ln 170, Sec 4, Zhongxiao E Rd, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段170巷17弄4號B1), tel: (02) 8773-0633. Open daily from 1pm to 9pm
■ Opens tomorrow. Until June 30
Photo courtesy of Daguan Gallery
Chinese artist Chen Cheng-wei’s (陳承衛) surreal oil paintings bear stylistic qualities similar to 20th century Chinese master Chen Yi-fei (陳逸飛). In Being and Nothingness (存在與虛無), Chen Cheng-wei uses delightful storytelling skills to cultivate an ambiance of grace from a bygone era. This nostalgia serves as a time capsule that has preserved the complex emotions of nationality and identity. His use of chiaroscuro generates a dramatic effect, a dialogue with a flawless world. This is a good example of how realism can create the best fictions.
■ Chini Gallery (采泥藝術), 48, Ln 128, Jingye 1st Rd, Taipei City (台北市敬業一路128巷48號), tel: (02) 7729-5809. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:30am to 7pm
■ Opens tomorrow with opening reception on June 24 from 3pm to 5pm. Until Aug. 6
Photo courtesy of Tang Feng Gallery
Unit (單元) is a painting exhibition featuring new works by Fujian-based Chinese artist Lin Hao (林昊), who draws on music, literature and philosophy in his acrylic works. Lin’s sharp and soft textures and broad palette of color calls attention to the intricate details of life.
■ Soka Art Center Tainan, 446 Chingping Rd, Tainan City (台南市慶平路446號), tel: (06) 297-3957. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm
■ Until July 23
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su
It’s hard to know where to begin with Mark Tovell’s Taiwan: Roads Above the Clouds. Having published a travelogue myself, as well as having contributed to several guidebooks, at first glance Tovell’s book appears to inhabit a middle ground — the kind of hard-to-sell nowheresville publishers detest. Leaf through the pages and you’ll find them suffuse with the purple prose best associated with travel literature: “When the sun is low on a warm, clear morning, and with the heat already rising, we stand at the riverside bike path leading south from Sanxia’s old cobble streets.” Hardly the stuff of your
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby