Walking around the geometric abstraction exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, one explores the varieties of Taiwanese abstract art, as well as examining the melding of Western concepts with Eastern philosophy that created a unique movement in Taiwan.
The Lyricism of Form: Geometric Abstraction highlights more than 50 pieces from 14 Taiwanese artists and spans the history of the movement in Taiwan from its onset in the 1960s to the present day.
Near the entrance of the exhibition is Chen Shiu-ming's (
Hu Kun-jung's (
Artists such as Richard Lin (
Images of folk art are also rich in Shiy De Jinn's (
From a postmodern perspective, Chang Cheng-jen (
When viewed as a whole, there doesn't seem to be a common thread underlining the exhibit, nor is it arranged in any particular order, chronological or otherwise. It does, however, examine the numerous influences -- both Western and Chinese -- that lead to a variegated abstract movement in Taiwan. The exhibit also provides an impressive overview of the group of artists who constructed the movement.
Equally interesting is how these pieces, which were originally influenced by works from the late 19th century, have become commonplace, mass-produced interior designs in bars, clubs and local homeware stores around the globe.
Exhibition notes:
What: The Lyricism of Form: Geometric Abstraction
Where: Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館) 181 Zhongshan N Rd, Sec 3, Taipei (臺北市中山北路3段181號).
Telephone: (02) 2595 7656
When: Until Oct. 10, Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 5:30pm. Closed on Mondays
One of the biggest sore spots in Taiwan’s historical friendship with the US came in 1979 when US president Jimmy Carter broke off formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan’s Republic of China (ROC) government so that the US could establish relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Taiwan’s derecognition came purely at China’s insistence, and the US took the deal. Retired American diplomat John Tkacik, who for almost decade surrounding that schism, from 1974 to 1982, worked in embassies in Taipei and Beijing and at the Taiwan Desk in Washington DC, recently argued in the Taipei Times that “President Carter’s derecognition
This year will go down in the history books. Taiwan faces enormous turmoil and uncertainty in the coming months. Which political parties are in a good position to handle big changes? All of the main parties are beset with challenges. Taking stock, this column examined the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) (“Huang Kuo-chang’s choking the life out of the TPP,” May 28, page 12), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (“Challenges amid choppy waters for the DPP,” June 14, page 12) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) (“KMT struggles to seize opportunities as ‘interesting times’ loom,” June 20, page 11). Times like these can
Dr. Y. Tony Yang, Associate Dean of Health Policy and Population Science at George Washington University, argued last week in a piece for the Taipei Times about former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) leading a student delegation to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that, “The real question is not whether Ma’s visit helps or hurts Taiwan — it is why Taiwan lacks a sophisticated, multi-track approach to one of the most complex geopolitical relationships in the world” (“Ma’s Visit, DPP’s Blind Spot,” June 18, page 8). Yang contends that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has a blind spot: “By treating any
You can tell a lot about a generation from the contents of their cool box: nowadays the barbecue ice bucket is likely to be filled with hard seltzers, non-alcoholic beers and fluorescent BuzzBallz — a particular favorite among Gen Z. Two decades ago, it was WKD, Bacardi Breezers and the odd Smirnoff Ice bobbing in a puddle of melted ice. And while nostalgia may have brought back some alcopops, the new wave of ready-to-drink (RTD) options look and taste noticeably different. It is not just the drinks that have changed, but drinking habits too, driven in part by more health-conscious consumers and