A year and a half removed from his previous showcase, Chao Yu-hsiu (趙宇脩) presents Chao Yu-Hsiu Solo Exhibition at the newly opened Link Lion exhibition space. Known for his intricate brushstrokes, Chao will display some of his literati-style, ink-on-paper paintings that incorporate traditional calligraphy.
■ Link Lion (雄獅星空), 2F, 9 Nanjing W Rd, Taipei City (台北市南京西路9號2樓), tel: (02) 2523-6173. Open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 1pm to 8pm, Fridays from 1pm to 9pm, Saturdays from 10am to 9pm, Sundays from 10am to 6pm
■ Until August 20
Photo courtesy of THZ Gallery Art Space
Dutch-Filipina artist Martha Atienza will make her debut solo exhibition Martha Atienza in Taiwan at Taipei’s Mind Set Art Center. Growing up in Bantayan Island, Atienza’s childhood memories are marked with an obsession with water, which surrounds both her homes of the Netherlands and Philippines. The two video projections at the show, titled Migration N 50°42’31.08” W 028° 54’57.65” and Migration N 49°57’04.39” W 033°08’05.15” are both over one hour long, featuring wide seascapes under a gloomy sky without a clear narrative.
■ Mind Set Art Center (安卓藝術), 7F, 180, Section 1, Heping East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City (台北市大安區和平東路一段180號7F), tel: (02) 2365-6008. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am to 6pm
■ Until August 26
Photo courtesy of Link Lion and the artist
Hu Kun-jung’s (胡坤榮) solo show Coordination between Equilibrium and Mobility (平衡的冥動) will feature his works from the past 10 years, mostly in the form of acrylic paintings of geometric color blocks. Influenced by one of Taiwan’s most recognized minimalists Richard Lin (林壽宇), Hu continues the tradition of geometric abstraction in the vein of Marlow Moss, Piet Mondrian, Ben Nicholson and so on. But what makes Hu stand out is it is the irregular angles of the shapes in his compositions as well as his unique color palette.
■ Beyond Gallery (非畫廊), 4-1 Sec 1 Changan E Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安東路一段4-1號), tel: (02) 2562-0162, Open Mondays to Saturdays from 11am to 6pm
■ Until August 19
Photo courtesy of See ART space
Chinese artist Sun Yuan (孫源) will show his works along with three other Shanghai-based ink painters at the group exhibition Cortex & Skin (皮層). Sun incorporates a number of techniques in his work, including rubbing and ink washing. The results are deceptive, appearing to be abstract at first glance. Sun’s almost doodle-like, elaborately-layered paintings on paper are not direct depictions of reality, but rather translations of his own perceptions.
■ See ART space (看到藝術), 22, Ln 60, Taishun St, Taipei City (台北市泰順街60巷22號), tel: (02) 2368-1010. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 12pm to 7pm, Sundays by appointment
■ Until August 26
Photo courtesy of 182artspace
Japanese artist Komiya Yukina is one of two artists showing at + Project #4. Combining ceramics with mixed media, she creates cute sculptural pieces that resemble stuffed dolls. Drawing from kawaii culture, or Japan’s fascination for cuteness, Komiya’s work can bring out the viewer’s inner child — especially with The Ice Cream Craving Bear.
■ THZ Gallery Art Space (陶華灼藝廊 美術小館), 82 Jianshanpu Rd, Yingge District, New Taipei City (新北市鶯歌區尖山埔路82號), tel: (02) 2677-7131. Wednesdays to Mondays from 11am to 6pm.
■ Until August 20
Photo courtesy of Yiri Arts Pier-2
Hsu Chih-chi (許芝綺) will display her iconic white ceramic sculptures at her exhibition titled Switching to Manual Mode (M模式下的感光). Inspired by the concepts of gravity and pressure, Hsu poetically explores the differences between organic and inorganic forms, resulting in fluid and free-flowing structures.
■ Soka Art Center Tainan (台南索卡藝術中心), 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 September 3
Jam Wu (吳耿禎) will show his new mixed-media paper cutouts at his solo exhibition titled PINK Rainbow (虹). While Wu is known for using traditional red paper, he has included in this show hand-cut fabrics on prints and monochrome backgrounds. For example, PINK RAINBOW No.01 — New Born is made with synthetic fiber and acrylic on paper. A reincarnation of the craft of traditional paper-cutting, Wu’s art continues to evolve and incorporate new techniques and materials.
■ 182artspace (182空間), 182 Sinmei St, Tainan City (台南市新美街182號), tel: (06) 223-0968. Open Wednesdays to Mondays from 2pm to 12am
■ Until September 17
Tsai Yu-ting (蔡玉庭) will show her multimedia installations at her show Sticky Dream (黏夢). Tsai’s works combine oil-free alkyd resin, acrylic and video projections. Inspired by dreams, Tsai’s works are like remnants of a forgotten memory, featuring objects that seem ghastly and otherworldly. The 12 works in the exhibition each represent a dream, half of which represents Tsai’s artistic practice, half containing elements from daily life, bridging the gap between the unknown and reality.
■ Yiri Arts Pier-2 (伊日藝術駁二空間), Pier-2 Art Center Unit C9-14, 1 Dayong Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市大勇路1號駁二藝術特區大義倉群C9-14倉庫), tel: (07) 521-5783. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 7pm
■ Opening tomorrow from 6-8pm, until September 10
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
A sultry sea mist blankets New Taipei City as I pedal from Tamsui District (淡水) up the coast. This might not be ideal beach weather but it’s fine weather for riding –– the cloud cover sheltering arms and legs from the scourge of the subtropical sun. The dedicated bikeway that connects downtown Taipei with the west coast of New Taipei City ends just past Fisherman’s Wharf (漁人碼頭) so I’m not the only cyclist jostling for space among the SUVs and scooters on National Highway No. 2. Many Lycra-clad enthusiasts are racing north on stealthy Giants and Meridas, rounding “the crown coast”
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