Despite sparse funding and the lack of a vigorous market for contemporary art, Taiwan is rich and abundant in visual and contemporary art.
A must-see exhibition recen-tly opened at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. The Intertidal Zone Art Monitoring Station on view until May 29 is one of the six exhibitions that received a production grant for curators from The National Culture and Arts Foundation. The three curators Lu Ming-te (
Of course having more than one curator for an exhibition can be a bit like having too many cooks spoiling the broth.
PHOTOS: SUSAN KENDZULAK
However, the environmentally themed exhibition with southern-based Taiwanese artists and Birmingham-based British artists moves logically from thought to thought, coalescing into a marvelous reverie about being alive and how we connect with other species.
One highlight is the interactive installation by Hsiao Sheng-chien (
The exhibition also shows that Hsu Su-chen is an incredible cultural entity as she perfects her dual role as artist and curator. Her project with the Pingtung Wildlife Sanctuary is a documentation of once-captive animals who show the signs of psychological stress disorders. She was recently nominated for the Taishin Art Awards for two of her exhibitions: a curated show combining theater and fine art and a solo art exhibition exploring the subject of conjoined twins.
The Taishin Art Awards created by the Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture awards an NT$1 million prize, inspiring people to realize their creative goals.
The Special Jury Award went to the Beautiful New Horizon Arts Involved Planning Hai-An Road, the one-year project on Tainan's Haian Road, where the sides of buildings on this famed road are canvases for art. The Visual Arts Award went to Shy Gong's Pilgrimage in Labyrinth, an exhibition of his neon-blinking betel-nut stands that was on view at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
According to the guidelines, the Taishin Art Awards competition is also open to artists who are not citizens of Taiwan but who have valid ARCs. However, none of the nominees were ARC-holders, and this makes one wonder when, or if, this allowance will ever be put into effect.
Are the Taishin Art Awards a platform for only promoting Taiwanese culture or will it recognize contributions of creative residents?
One highlight of the ceremony was when the presenter of the Performing Arts Award, Cloud Gate founder Lin Hwai-min (
comments.
As the Tainan award-winning project shows, public-art projects are one way to make art seem less elitist and as a way to bring the art directly to the masses. Currently on view until May 7 is the Utopia of Togetherness, a walking art tour in Taipei that begins at the Yuan Shan MRT station and includes 21 individual art projects. So from North to South, there are plenty of wonderful -- and free -- art exhibitions to see.
Events information:
What: Hai-an Road, Tainan, ongoing public art
Where: Kaohsiung Museum (高雄市立美術館)
When: Until May 29
What: Taishin Art Awards 2004 Taishin Art Awards
Where: 9F, A9 Building Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in the Xinyi New Life Square, Taipei
When: Daily, 11pm to 7pm, until April 25
What: Utopia of Togetherness, The 2nd Taipei Public Art Festival (
Where: Datung District, from Yuanshan MRT to Dihua Street Sewage Plant
When: Until May 29
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