Although not a household name, Tung Yang-tzu’s (董陽孜) calligraphy can be found on passport stamps, the main hall of Taipei Railway Station, a Jay Chou (周杰倫) music video and now at Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
The museum is hosting 94 of Tung’s large-format pieces, as well as oil paintings in a solo retrospective called “Moving Ink,” which runs until March 8.
Born in Shanghai in 1942, Tung arrived in Taiwan at the age of 10, and studied art at National Taiwan Normal University.
Photo: CNA
After developing her skills in the US, she returned to Taiwan in 1977 to devote herself to calligraphy, she said.
Her work has since been featured on the logos of the Ministry of Culture, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and Huashan 1914 Creative Park, as well as on the covers of books by novelist Pai Hsien-yung (白先勇) and in a terminal at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport).
Tung, who studied the works of calligraphy masters, developed a notable improvisational and emotional style, which she credits to her training in other visual arts.
Calligraphy, while often neglected, is a vital part of Taiwan’s cultural heritage, Tung said.
Even as technology threatens to overshadow or even replace traditional art forms, she prefers the physical presence of the written word, she said.
“Technology makes life convenient, but it dilutes our human relationships,” she said. “With one click, you can erase anything on a computer, but remember, people still save old handwritten letters because of their emotional resonance.”
Tung does not own a mobile phone or computer, but that does not stop her from trying to reinvent her work through genre-crossing experiments, and collaborations in sculpture, music and fashion, she said.
However, she said she hopes these contemporary endeavors “will encourage someone to pick up a brush and write, so the cultural heritage of calligraphy can be passed on.”
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
RSS