The 18th National Award for Arts was presented to this year’s winners at a ceremony in Taipei yesterday.
The latest recipients of the award are film director Wang Hsiao-ti (王小棣), stage designer Austin Wang (王孟超), writer Wang Ting-chun (王鼎鈞), conductor Chien Wen-pin (簡文彬), architect Cheng Mei (陳邁) and abstract painter Chen Cheng-hsiung (陳正雄).
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Minister of Culture Lung Ying-tai (龍應台) attended the ceremony, where Lung said the six artists have one thing in common — boldness.
Photo: Pan Shao-tang, Taipei Times
Acer founder Stan Shih (施振榮), chairman of the National Culture and Arts Foundation, which grants the award, said he hopes it not only recognizes the recipients’ artistic achievements, but passes on the spirit of their lives and creations.
Wang Ting-chun, 89, was recognized for his poetry, prose, novels and biographies that reflect his time and show his care for society, the foundation said.
It praised Wang Hsiao-ti for her achievements in film, television, animation, documentary and theater art, and for the care for society expressed in her works.
Austin Wang, best known for his work as stage designer for Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (雲門舞集), was hailed for his works that span traditional and modern theater and dance, and for his efforts in bringing Taiwanese theater to the world.
Chen was praised for his decades of dedication to abstract paintings and his in-depth study of Aboriginal artifacts in Taiwan and China.
The aesthetic value of Cheng’s architectural works was praised by the foundation, while it said that Chien won because of his multiple victories at international conducting competitions, for bringing the National Symphony Orchestra to a new artistic level and for promoting Eastern and Western music, art and cultural exchanges.
The six winners each received NT$1 million (US$33,076) and a trophy.
The National Award for Arts was established in 1997. Previous recipients include Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (李安), director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) and Cloud Gate’s founder and artistic director Lin Hwai-min (林懷民).
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