Wildness and Purity (狂放與純粹) is a retrospective exhibit of China-born Taiwanese ink painter Chen Qing’s (陳勤) work. Early in life, Chen established a foundation in drawing and oil painting, which he would later use to create pen and ink paintings that see him blending the ideas of Western abstraction with the frenetic brushstrokes of Chinese cursive script.
■ National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei City (台北市南海路49號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2361-0270. General admission is NT$30
■ Until May 23
Perfection Serenity Substance Unrestraint is a group exhibit by three of Taiwan’s top sculptors, Chen Hsia-yu (陳夏雨), Hsiung Ping-ming (熊秉明) and Hsia Yan (夏陽). Hsia Yan’s recent metal sculptures of chaotic and bold lines display the dynamic movement of Futurism with an Eastern-infused narrative of nonchalant cuts and curves that works to soften the hardness of metal and reveal a transcendent grace. Using bronze as his primary medium, Hsiung’s simple geometrical patterns attempt to capture a fleeting sense of time and space, while retaining elements of the eternal. This exhibit includes his well-known Buffalo Series. Chen’s style merges elements of Egyptian, Greek and Buddhist art. Chosen on three occasions to participate in the Japanese Imperial Salon, his work in this exhibit illustrates a fascination with the female form.
■ Eslite Gallery (誠品畫廊), 5F, 11 Songgao Rd, Taipei City (台北市松高路11號5F). Open Tuesdays
to Sundays from 11am to 7pm.
Tel: (02) 8789-3388 X1588
■ Until May 30
The Wild Wonders of Hung Tung (洪通的異想幻境) is a retrospective exhibit of Taiwanese artist Hung Tung’s (洪通) paintings. Hung, a self-taught painter who began painting at the age of 50, was celebrated for his rich imagination and eccentric behavior. Although many critics dubbed his work childlike, Hung’s paintings offer a vivid and intricate tapestry of colorful patterns full of figures and animals that were nurtured on Taiwanese folk traditions, particularly the popular religious traditions of temples.
■ Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan County Government (桃園縣政府文化局), 21 Sianfu Rd, Taoyuan County (桃園市縣府路21號)
■ Until May 25
Landscape painter Jan Chin-shui (詹金水) returns to his abstract roots with Looking at the Landscape (觀山水). Though having experimented stylistically, Jan produces vivid and appealing oil paintings in the spirit of Chinese landscapes. Deeply influenced by Tibet’s landscapes, his paintings present shifting light, shadow, and mist in a naturalistic manner. According to the exhibition blurb, “Jan has developed a wonderful style that combines the textures and the rich, saturated colors of Western oils with the cultural and humanistic spirit of the East.”
■ 99 Degrees Art Center (99 藝術中心), 5F, 259, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段259號5F). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6pm.
Tel: (02) 2700-3099
■ Until May 23
Vision2: The Future that Encompasses the Past (重暗) is a group exhibit and art exchange that features works by Taiwanese and Chinese painters, sculptors and installation artists in a dialogue that seeks to reveal the similarities and differences in the preoccupations of emerging and established artists on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
■ Tina Keng Gallery (大未來耿畫廊), 15, Ln 548, Ruiguang Rd, Taipei City (台北市瑞光路548巷15號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2659-0798
■ Until May 30
Taiwan, once relegated to the backwaters of international news media and viewed as a subset topic of “greater China,” is now a hot topic. Words associated with Taiwan include “invasion,” “contingency” and, on the more cheerful side, “semiconductors” and “tourism.” It is worth noting that while Taiwanese companies play important roles in the semiconductor industry, there is no such thing as a “Taiwan semiconductor” or a “Taiwan chip.” If crucial suppliers are included, the supply chain is in the thousands and spans the globe. Both of the variants of the so-called “silicon shield” are pure fantasy. There are four primary drivers
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
Two years ago my wife and I went to Orchid Island off Taitung for a few days vacation. We were shocked to realize that for what it cost us, we could have done a bike vacation in Borneo for a week or two, or taken another trip to the Philippines. Indeed, most of the places we could have gone for that vacation in neighboring countries offer a much better experience than Taiwan at a much lower price. Hence, the recent news showing that tourist visits to Pingtung County’s Kenting, long in decline, reached a 27 year low this summer came
From a Brooklyn studio that looks like a cross between a ransacked Toys R Us and a serial killer’s lair, the artist David Henry Nobody Jr is planning the first survey of his career. Held by a headless dummy strung by its heels from the ceiling are a set of photographs from the turn of the century of a then 30-year-old Nobody with the former president of the US. The snapshots are all signed by Donald Trump in gold pen (Nobody supplied the pen). They will be a central piece of the New York artist’s upcoming survey in New York. This
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