Kees Goudzwaard is a Dutch artist whose work occupies a space between collage and painting. He creates two-dimensional assemblages using paper, acetate and other materials, then reproduces them with oil paints on canvas at a 1:1 scale. This meticulous process is a commentary on the concept of time in cultural production, and a resistance of the accelerating rate of mass production and consumption. His solo exhibition Nursery Garden (“剪”與“集”的溫室) at Nunu Fine Art presents paintings from the last three years. Art historian Ilaria Bonacossa writes that Goudzwaard’s practice may trace back to postmodernist trends from the mid-1980s and 1990s. At this time, when his career was just beginning, ideas about authorship, appropriation and the future of painting were critical points of artistic discussion.
■ Nunu Fine Art (路由藝術), 5, Ln 67, Jinshan S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市金山南路一段67巷5號); tel: (02) 3322-6207. Open Wednesdays to Sundays, noon to 7pm
■ Until Nov. 3
Photo courtesy of VT Artsalon
In the spirit of cultural exchange, Asian Drums (亞洲的鼓聲:臺韓泰三地藝術對話) is a group exhibition organized by three art spaces in Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand. The show refers to artists as drummers or beat-makers that cause a rumble in Asia’s cultural landscape. Curatorial notes caution against superficial summaries of any particular culture, calling instead for more substantial partnerships between countries. Featuring a selection of artists who have been working in Asia for over a decade, the show seeks more grounded explorations of identities, sensibilities and relationships. Participants include Prasert Yodkaew, a Thai artist who creates installations and performances dealing with an ever-changing state of existence, and Lin Kuan-ming (林冠名), a Taipei-based video artist exploring concepts of time and memory.
■ VT Artsalon (非常廟藝文空間), B1, 17, Ln 56, Xinsheng N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生北路三段56巷17號B1); tel: (02) 2597-2525. Open Tuesdays to Fridays, 11:30am to 7pm and Saturdays, 1:30pm to 9pm
■ Until Oct. 12
Photo courtesy of Taoyuan Department of Cultural Affairs
Life Written in Water (似水流年) at Moon Gallery (月臨畫廊) is a solo exhibition by Taichung-based artist Peng Hsien-hsiang (彭賢祥). Peng is a painter and sculptor of Hakka descent whose cultural background deeply resonates with his work. Early in his career, the artist created a series of family portraits during a period of self-reflection. His later works resemble abstract landscapes that are sometimes inspired by memories of his hometown in Miaoli or the surrounding environment of his studio. The paintings on view exude a weighty air of sentimentality and ambiguity. According to the artist, his mission is to create dialogue with the viewer about existence and the complexities of life.
■ Moon Gallery (月臨畫廊), 6, Ln 589, Yingcai Rd, Taichung City (台中市英才路589巷6號); tel: (04) 2371-1219. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6pm (closed every last Sunday of the month)
■ Until Sept. 28
Photo courtesy of Nunu Fine Art
As a collaboration between the National Palace Museum and the Kaohsiung
Museum of Fine Arts, New Horizons (國寶新境) is an exhibition that seeks to present ancient Chinese artifacts using innovative technologies. The show tells the story of the National Palace Museum collection through interactive installations, immersive pavilions and virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality works. Highlights include a classical theater pavilion in which contemporary dancers, composers and calligraphers have worked together to create film interpretations of classic Chinese art pieces. Another is The Spirit of Calligraphy, a VR experience in which figures such as words, dragons and snakes morph into each other. Visitors can also use a virtual brush to practise calligraphy.
■ Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (高雄市立美術館), 80, Meishuguan Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市美術館路80號), tel: (07) 555-0331. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:30am to 5:30pm
Photo courtesy of VT Artsalon
■ Until Dec. 1
After a successful debut two years ago, the second edition of the Taoyuan International Watercolor Biennial (桃園國際水彩雙年展), titled Flowing Water (活水), opens its doors today at the Taoyuan City Department of Cultural Affairs (桃園市政府文化局). As a platform to invigorate international exchange, the biennial features 102 watercolor works by 18 artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, the US, the UK, Japan, Moldova, Russia, Australia and New Zealand. A series of craft demonstrations, salons and guided tours will run concurrently. For more details, visit: taoyuanwatercolorbiennial.com.
■ Taoyuan Department of Cultural Affairs (桃園市政府文化局), 21, Xianfu Rd, Taoyuan City (桃園市縣府路21號), tel: (03) 332-2592. Open daily from 8am to 5pm
Photo courtesy of National Palace Museum
■ Until Oct. 6
Photo courtesy of Taoyuan Department of Cultural Affairs
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
The corruption cases surrounding former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) head Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are just one item in the endless cycle of noise and fuss obscuring Taiwan’s deep and urgent structural and social problems. Even the case itself, as James Baron observed in an excellent piece at the Diplomat last week, is only one manifestation of the greater problem of deep-rooted corruption in land development. Last week the government announced a program to permit 25,000 foreign university students, primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, to work in Taiwan after graduation for 2-4 years. That number is a
This year’s Michelin Gourmand Bib sported 16 new entries in the 126-strong Taiwan directory. The fight for the best braised pork rice and the crispiest scallion pancake painstakingly continued, but what stood out in the lineup this year? Pang Taqueria (胖塔可利亞); Taiwan’s first Michelin-recommended Mexican restaurant. Chef Charles Chen (陳治宇) is a self-confessed Americophile, earning his chef whites at a fine-dining Latin-American fusion restaurant. But what makes this Xinyi (信義) spot stand head and shoulders above Taipei’s existing Mexican offerings? The authenticity. The produce. The care. AUTHENTIC EATS In my time on the island, I have caved too many times to
In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure. The team is among 10 recognized in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” They are not