VIEW THIS PAGE Beyond the Visible (在可見之後) is a duo exhibition by Taiwanese contemporary artists Liu Shih-tung (劉時棟) and Lai Chiu-chen (賴九岑). Liu’s paintings update the centuries-old folk custom of paper cutting. After assembling images from fashion magazines, Liu cuts them into birds, flowers and plants, which he then layers onto his canvases in vibrant pastiches. Lai’s canvases contain characters that wouldn’t look out of place in an episode of South Park. And like many of that show’s themes, Lai’s portraits of soldiers in night vision goggles or gas masks carry a political message, though without the vulgarity.
■ Lin & Lin Gallery (大未來林舍畫廊), 13, Ln 252, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段252巷13號). Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 7pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2721-8488
■ Until March 7
Figures and Genre in the Art and Aesthetics of Form: Selections From the History of Chinese Painting (造型與美感 — 人物民俗篇) examines the human figure as a subject in Chinese painting. The show covers the Yuan (1279-1368), Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties and provides a comprehensive look at the subject and brushwork of artists, revealing their stylistic features and technical achievements.
■ National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), 221 Zhishan Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市至善路二段221號). Open daily from 9am to 5pm. Tel: (02) 2881-2021. Admission: NT$160
■ Until March 25
Chinese festival couplets form the central motif in New Year — Color Taiwan (老春聯，新藝象，色彩台灣), a new series of paintings by Ariel Kuo (郭芃君). Reveling in the joyous atmosphere of this important holiday, Kuo infuses her couplets with vibrant peonies, chrysanthemums and lilies. The show also features a few works from her past shows, Places — Tainan, and Paint Our Color, in which she reflects on
Taiwan’s architecture.
■ Mei’s Tea Bar, 16, Ln 37, Yongkang St, Taipei City (台北市永康街37巷16號). Open daily from 3pm to 1am. Tel: (02) 2394-2425
■ Until March 1
Three architectural concepts and six sculptural installations make up Taiwanese architect E. Chen’s (陳逸堅) Wunderkammer (築). The anti-consumerist works attempt to reinterpret the meaning of artificial space and question the functionality of
man-made objects.
■ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM — 台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Tel: (02) 2595-7656. Open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm, closes at 8:30pm on Saturdays
■ Until March 14
Super Massive is a new series of hand-weaving on canvas “paintings” by Taiwanese embroidery artist Chang En-tzu (張恩慈).
■ Butchart Contemporary Art Space, 155, Linong St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市立農街二段155號). Open daily from 11am to 9pm.
Tel: (02) 2820-9920
■ Until March 28
The diversity of human creativity forms the underlying concept behind C’est la Vie (人間 — 浮遊), a group exhibition of paintings, installation art and photography by some of Taiwan’s hottest emerging artists. The five exhibitors are Tung Hsin-ru (董心如), Chen Shun-chu (陳順築), Wu Tung-lung (吳東龍), Lin Yi-shu (林羿束) and Tian Bao-chang (田葆昌).
■ La Chambre Art Gallery (小室藝廊), 31, Ln 52, Siwei Rd, Taipei City (台北市四維路52巷31號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2700-3689
■ From Saturday until March 12
Six contemporary Taiwanese photographers take the medium in new directions with the help of digital technology in Beyond Reality (超現•攝影展). The exhibition consists of 44 large-scale prints by Wu Chung-wei (吳忠維), Liu Cheng-hsiang (劉振祥), Tsai Wen-hsiang (蔡文祥), Hung Shih-tsung (洪世聰), Wu Cheng-chang (吳政璋) and Chen Pin-hua (陳斌華). Clearly inspired by more traditional artistic mediums such as drawing, painting, theater and architecture, the photographers offer an unconventional look at Taiwan’s various cultural and geographical environments.
■ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm, closes at 8:30pm on Saturdays. Tel: (02) 2595-7656
■ Until March 14
When the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese forces 50 years ago this week, it prompted a mass exodus of some 2 million people — hundreds of thousands fleeing perilously on small boats across open water to escape the communist regime. Many ultimately settled in Southern California’s Orange County in an area now known as “Little Saigon,” not far from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where the first refugees were airlifted upon reaching the US. The diaspora now also has significant populations in Virginia, Texas and Washington state, as well as in countries including France and Australia.
On April 17, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) launched a bold campaign to revive and revitalize the KMT base by calling for an impromptu rally at the Taipei prosecutor’s offices to protest recent arrests of KMT recall campaigners over allegations of forgery and fraud involving signatures of dead voters. The protest had no time to apply for permits and was illegal, but that played into the sense of opposition grievance at alleged weaponization of the judiciary by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to “annihilate” the opposition parties. Blamed for faltering recall campaigns and faced with a KMT chair
Article 2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (中華民國憲法增修條文) stipulates that upon a vote of no confidence in the premier, the president can dissolve the legislature within 10 days. If the legislature is dissolved, a new legislative election must be held within 60 days, and the legislators’ terms will then be reckoned from that election. Two weeks ago Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed that the legislature hold a vote of no confidence in the premier and dare the president to dissolve the legislature. The legislature is currently controlled
Dull functional structures dominate Taiwan’s cityscapes. But that’s slowly changing, thanks to talented architects and patrons with deep pockets. Since the start of the 21st century, the country has gained several alluring landmark buildings, including the two described below. NUNG CHAN MONASTERY Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山, DDM) is one of Taiwan’s most prominent religious organizations. Under the leadership of Buddhist Master Sheng Yen (聖嚴), who died in 2009, it developed into an international Buddhist foundation active in the spiritual, cultural and educational spheres. Since 2005, DDM’s principal base has been its sprawling hillside complex in New Taipei City’s Jinshan District (金山). But
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