Art changes rapidly, so how to present their art collections with a fresh perspective is a big question for museums. One way is to re-contextualize the artwork, that is, to take specific pieces of art from the collection, put them together with other works in a surprising or unique manner and exhibit it under a theme or concept.
Alien Land -- Metropolitan Variations is such a show with artworks taken from the museum's collection of mainly modernist-style art.
Taking its premise from Thomas Moore's novel Utopia, with the concept of the perfect city, curator Chien Chen-yi (錢晨一) seeks to exhibit art that glorifies the city while also exposing its dark underbelly -- since every city has its dystopic side: crime, pollution, poverty, and so on.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE TAIPEI FINE ARTS MUSEUM
As a result Chien came up with three categories: "Geometric Cities," "Lost Spaces," and "Hard-Boiled Wonderland" in order to present views about a city that is seen, against one that is unseen.
The works on view are mainly two-dimensional rectangular works that create an overall monotone-type of rhythm with paintings being of two types: figurative representation and concrete abstraction. Therefore there are not many surprises for the viewer.
However juxtaposing the famous artist Hsia Yan (
On view is his installation titled Love River, Inner River, Tamshui River, which is of IV drips filled with blood red paint over stacks of small stretched canvasses.
Geometric Cities, an area of loosely painted abstract paintings that hint at urban skylines also shows how traditional calligraphy painting merged so beautifully with modernism, resulting in paintings that combine the past with the future.
Chang Yung-tsun (張永村) gained local acclaim with his series of densely painted ultramarine blue cityscapes that liken the intricate urban environment to a jungle. Ku Ping-hsing's (顧炳星) huge ink scrolls of geometric skyscraper patterns gives Chinese ink painting a new twist as flat black areas of ink resemble New York high-rises, while also maintaining the scale of a Chinese landscape painting. Photographs and graphic prints are included under the theme Lost Spaces. Ho Ching-tai's (
photos document people who are down-on-their-luck, such as skid-row drunks and leprosy victims.
While Arthur Tress' colorful Cibachromes show that pollution is a byproduct of city living. In the poetically-titled Like Sunken Drums of Waste and the Toxins They Contain, Even Sun and Rain Could Take the Life They Now Sustain shows a fish tank filled with luminous skulls and glowing eyes, while in the background factory chimneys spew out toxic plumes of smoke.
The section titled Hard-boiled Wonderland is for artworks that show the alienation that some people seem to feel living in the city. However, the paintings seem to reflect the feeling that individuality emerges out of the masses, showing that an individual does have a unique and joyful voice in a heavily populated environment.
One work that stands out with its simplicity and timelessness is Lu Ming-de's (盧明德) neon sign that says "Media is Everything." Ne This brightly colored statement not only is relevant to today's world, but also succinctly sums up the exhibition.
What: Alien Land -- Metropolitan Variations
Where: Taipei Fine Arts Museum,181, Zhongshan N Road, Sec 3, Taipei
Telephone: (02) 2595 7656
When: To Jan. 8
When nature calls, Masana Izawa has followed the same routine for more than 50 years: heading out to the woods in Japan, dropping his pants and doing as bears do. “We survive by eating other living things. But you can give faeces back to nature so that organisms in the soil can decompose them,” the 74-year-old said. “This means you are giving life back. What could be a more sublime act?” “Fundo-shi” (“poop-soil master”) Izawa is something of a celebrity in Japan, publishing books, delivering lectures and appearing in a documentary. People flock to his “Poopland” and centuries-old wooden “Fundo-an” (“poop-soil house”) in
Jan 13 to Jan 19 Yang Jen-huang (楊仁煌) recalls being slapped by his father when he asked about their Sakizaya heritage, telling him to never mention it otherwise they’ll be killed. “Only then did I start learning about the Karewan Incident,” he tells Mayaw Kilang in “The social culture and ethnic identification of the Sakizaya” (撒奇萊雅族的社會文化與民族認定). “Many of our elders are reluctant to call themselves Sakizaya, and are accustomed to living in Amis (Pangcah) society. Therefore, it’s up to the younger generation to push for official recognition, because there’s still a taboo with the older people.” Although the Sakizaya became Taiwan’s 13th
Earlier this month, a Hong Kong ship, Shunxin-39, was identified as the ship that had cut telecom cables on the seabed north of Keelung. The ship, owned out of Hong Kong and variously described as registered in Cameroon (as Shunxin-39) and Tanzania (as Xinshun-39), was originally People’s Republic of China (PRC)-flagged, but changed registries in 2024, according to Maritime Executive magazine. The Financial Times published tracking data for the ship showing it crossing a number of undersea cables off northern Taiwan over the course of several days. The intent was clear. Shunxin-39, which according to the Taiwan Coast Guard was crewed
China’s military launched a record number of warplane incursions around Taiwan last year as it builds its ability to launch full-scale invasion, something a former chief of Taiwan’s armed forces said Beijing could be capable of within a decade. Analysts said China’s relentless harassment had taken a toll on Taiwan’s resources, but had failed to convince them to capitulate, largely because the threat of invasion was still an empty one, for now. Xi Jinping’s (習近平) determination to annex Taiwan under what the president terms “reunification” is no secret. He has publicly and stridently promised to bring it under Communist party (CCP) control,
RSS