Hsu Yin-ling (許尹齡) will show her latest oil paintings at the solo exhibition Side Wall (邊牆) at Project Fulfill Art Space. Hsu’s paintings have elements of theatricality with a backstory about a hunter. The inspiration for this series came from an encounter she had with an Afghan refugee while completing an artist residency in Dalsland, Sweden. Drawing on international news, Hsu’s work questions the cruel and violent nature of humanity.
■ Project Fulfill Art Space (就在藝術空間), 2, Alley 45, Ln 147, Xinyi Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市信義路三段147巷45弄2號), tel: (02) 2707-6942. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 6pm
■ Until Oct. 14
Photo courtesy of Project Fulfill Art Space
Chang Jui-pin (張瑞頻) is showing her new mixed media works at her solo exhibition The Garden of Earthly Delights (塵世樂園). This showcase of her cutouts and installations marks a breakaway from her other mediums: painting and drawing. While Chang’s work resembles the surreal style of Max Ernst and Henri Matisse, they possess a high degree of originality and are full of imaginary creatures in a land with earthly desires and pleasure.
■ ArtDoor Gallery (藝境畫廊) 5F, 36, Lane 164, Hulin St, Taipei City (台北市虎林街164巷36號5樓), tel: (02) 2345-6288. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Until Oct. 29
Photo courtesy of Soka Art Center
Aki Gallery is showing a survey of contemporary Japanese art with the group show Timeless (不存在的時間). Tomotaka Yasui is showing his mixed media works made using a technique inspired by traditional Japanese Buddhist sculpture. Yasui’s sculptures reflect a spiritual journey into the medium.
■ Aki Gallery (也趣藝廊), 141 Minzu W Rd, Taipei City (台北市民族西路141號), tel: (02) 2599-1171. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to 6:30pm
■ Until Oct. 15
Photo courtesy of ArtDoor Gallery
Liao Wen-hao’s (廖文豪) contemporary ink paintings are currently on view at Into the Eye, into the Mind (過眼即擁有). Liao’s ink paintings on paper riff off conventional styles combining landscapes with everyday phrases such as “Bored to Death.” His whimsical flair is a refreshing approach to explore new possibilities of this timeless medium.
■ Galerie Grand Siecle (新苑藝術), 17, Alley 51, Ln 12, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段12巷51弄17號), tel: (02) 2578-5630. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 6pm
■ Until Oct. 13
Photo courtesy of MBMore
York Hsiao’s (蕭耀) suggestive oil paintings are currently on view at Candid Erotica: Amorous Paintings (真.性.情 好色之圖). Seascapes often symbolize carnal desires. Phallic shaped rocks are positioned in front of mountainous terrain — the feminine counterpart — and vaguely remind viewers of the infamous seducer on canvas that was Salvador Dali.
■ Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (台北當代藝術館, MOCA, Taipei), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號), tel: (02) 2552-3721. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm
■ Until Oct. 22
Photo courtesy of Galerie Grand Siecle
Liu Wei-kang’s (劉偉剛) new exhibition, Endless Journey (空中鳥跡), will debut works inspired by his devotion to religion and abstract expressionism to examine the different stages of his life and the emotions they evoke.
■ Hong Gah Museum (鳳甲美術館), 11F, 166 Daye Rd, Taipei City (台北市大業路166號11樓), tel: (02) 2894-2272. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:30am to 5:30pm
■ Opening tomorrow. Until Oct. 29
Photo courtesy of the artist and moca, Taipei
Pan Meng-yao (潘孟堯) is showing his handmade woodcut prints at MBMore in a show called Realism — Imprint (寫實。印記). Pan’s subjects include species of fauna that are native to Taiwan. Visitors can also learn about the techniques and process of print making as the space also hosts regular classes and workshops.
■ MBMore (岩筆模), 275, Nanjing W Rd, Taipei City (台北市南京西路275號), tel: (02) 2558-3395. Open Tuesday to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Until Oct. 15
Photo courtesy of Soka Art Center
Su Yu-lan’s (蘇郁嵐) solo exhibition, Forward with A Glimmer of Light (在微光中前行), shows a good number of the artist’s oil paintings in a slightly melancholic, bluish-grey tone.
■ Soka Art Center Tainan (台南索卡藝術中心), 446 Qingping Rd (臺南市慶平路446號), tel: (06) 297-3957. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm
■ Until Oct. 15
Photo courtesy of the artist and Hong Gah Museum
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
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
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist
Peter Brighton was amazed when he found the giant jackfruit. He had been watching it grow on his farm in far north Queensland, and when it came time to pick it from the tree, it was so heavy it needed two people to do the job. “I was surprised when we cut it off and felt how heavy it was,” he says. “I grabbed it and my wife cut it — couldn’t do it by myself, it took two of us.” Weighing in at 45 kilograms, it is the heaviest jackfruit that Brighton has ever grown on his tropical fruit farm, located