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
Taiwan’s semiconductor industry consumes electricity at rates that would strain most national grids. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) alone accounted for more than 9 percent, or 2,590 megawatts (MW), of the nation’s power demand last year. The factories that produce chips for the world’s phones and servers run around the clock. They cannot tolerate blackouts. Yet Taiwan imports 97 percent of its energy, with liquefied natural gas reserves measured in days. Underground, Taiwan has options. Studies from National Taiwan University estimate recoverable geothermal resources at more than 33,000 MW. Current installed capacity stands below 10 MW. OBSTACLES Despite Taiwan’s significant geothermal potential, the
In our discussions of tourism in Taiwan we often criticize the government’s addiction to promoting food and shopping, while ignoring Taiwan’s underdeveloped trekking and adventure travel opportunities. This discussion, however, is decidedly land-focused. When was the last time a port entered into it? Last week I encountered journalist and travel writer Cameron Dueck, who had sailed to Taiwan in 2023-24, and was full of tales. Like everyone who visits, he and his partner Fiona Ching loved our island nation and had nothing but wonderful experiences on land. But he had little positive to say about the way Taiwan has organized its
The entire Li Zhenxiu (李貞秀) saga has been an ugly, complicated mess. Born in China’s Hunan Province, she moved to work in Shenzhen, where she met her future Taiwanese husband. Most accounts have her arriving in Taiwan and marrying somewhere between 1993 and 1999. She built a successful career in Taiwan in the tech industry before founding her own company. She also served in high-ranking positions on various environmentally-focused tech associations. She says she was inspired by the founding of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in 2019 by Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), and began volunteering for the party soon after. Ko
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) returned from her trip to meet People’s Republic of China (PRC) dictator Xi Jinping (習近平) bearing “a gift” for the people of Taiwan: 10 measures the PRC proposed to “facilitate the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.” “China on Sunday unveiled 10 new incentive measures for Taiwan,” wrote Reuters, wrongly. The PRC’s longstanding habit with Taiwan relations is to repackage already extant or once-existing policies and declare that they are “new.” The list forwarded by Cheng reflects that practice. NEW MEASURES? Note the first item: establishing regular communication mechanisms between the Chinese Communist Party
RSS