Picked as the symbol of the student-led mobilization against the cross-strait trade service pact, the sunflower is also becoming an emblem around which the nation’s artistic and cultural communities can rally to support the protest movement.
Rex How (郝明義), a former national policy adviser to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), has initiated an online campaign called “100 Sunflower Artworks” asking artists to post sunflower-themed pieces on the Web site www.savetaiwan.net.
“Every one of us can contribute something to save Taiwan,” How said.
Photo: www.savetaiwan.net.
How and some of his friends have invited 100 people from the local artistic and cultural communities to be the first contributors to the Internet campaign.
Their idea is for these 100 individuals to submit their artwork showcasing the protest movement’s symbol in any artistic medium, from painting, photography, and graphic design, to sculpture, poetry, or literature, such as poems or essays.
The former Ma adviser said that with the help of his friends and other supporters of the movement, the 100 Sunflower Artworks initiative was successfully launched last night.
Photo: www.savetaiwan.net.
The first person to submit a piece to the Web site was Nieh Yung-chen (聶永真), the graphic designer responsible for creating the student movement’s “Democracy at 4am” advertisement that ran in the New York Times.
The ad features a rendering of a sunflower in black felt-tip pen that Nieh drew on the back of his hand.
Nieh was followed by theater director Ko I-chen (柯一正), who submitted a photograph of himself displaying a sunflower drawn on his left palm toward the camera, while clenching his right back into a fist in a defiant stance.
Photo: www.savetaiwan.net
“The image means that I have the iron will and determination to defend democracy,” Ko said.
Xue Xue Institute founder Lilin Hsu (徐莉玲) contributed a photograph of a wooden deer carving partially concealed by a sunflower.
Author and social commentator Lucifer Chu (朱學恒) submitted an image of angry-looking bear’s face ringed by bananas to form the shape of a sunflower, in mockery of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅).
Photo: www.savetaiwan.net.
Chiu made himself a target for netizens’ derision when, while speaking on a China CCTV program, he pointed to a photograph of the student occupation of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei and said that the sunflowers were actually bananas.
Other personalities who have signed up to produce artwork for the campaign include: award-winning photographer Chang Chao-tang (張照堂), movie director Wang Hsiao-ti (王小棣), art critic Hu Yung-fen (胡永芬), graphic designer Akibo Lee (李明道), avant-garde artist Tsui Kuang-Yu (崔廣宇), former director of the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts Lee Jiun-shyan (李俊賢) and author Hsiao Yeh (小野).
Photo: www.savetaiwan.net.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS