Ubiquitous Blessings of Fenghuang — Porcelain and the Phoenix in Culture and Creativity (鳳鳴八方—瓷工藝的文化創意演繹) brings together porcelain, ceramics, jade, textiles and other artifacts from throughout Chinese history to illustrate the mythological and symbolic importance of the phoenix in art. The exhibit is on the National Museum of History’s second floor. On the fourth floor, The Seal Collection of Shinde-yinhui (欣得印彙藏印展) displays more than 500 seals dating back to antiquity. Biographies of famous seal engravers — as well as calligraphy and painting done by these artists — from the Ming and Qing dynasties reveal the general development of the medium and place it in its historical context.
■ 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. Admission is NT$30
■ Ubiquitous Blessings of Fenghuang ends July 4, the Seal Collection ends June 13
Contemporary painter and curator Lai Hsin-lung (賴新龍) splashes fragments from his unconscious on the canvas in his solo exhibit of oil paintings at La Chambre Art Gallery. Lai’s expressionist works of soaring birds and vague landscapes suggest an artist in touch with nature.
■ 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
■ Until June 5
Animated Images (動畫藝術展) presents the recent work of seven artists from Belgium, Switzerland, China, Germany and the US working in photography, animation, film, video installation and the graphic novel. The exhibit explores contemporary uses of various mediums that both comment on and employ animation as a means of examining various aspects of society — often with an activist’s bent — such as environmental degradation, excessive consumption and the increased homogenization of culture under the influences of global capitalism.
■ Digital Arts Center (台北數位藝術中心), 180 Fuhua Rd, Taipei City
(台北市福華路180號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm.
Tel: (02) 7736-0708
■ Until Sunday
Lost in the City (城市失格) offers a mystical and nostalgic look at cities across the world through the paintings of three contemporary award-winning artists: Shiau Bei-chen (蕭北辰) Hsu Pei-cheng (�?�) and Liao Zen-ping (廖震平).
■ Galerie Grand Siecle (新苑藝術), 17, Alley 51, Ln 12, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市八德路三段12巷51弄17號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2578-5630
■ Until June 1
Yang Po-lin (楊柏林), an emerging sculptor whose work is on public display at the Presidential Office, Hsinchu Science Park and Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, continues his creation of monumental sculptures with Here I Am (我在這裏). Yang’s sculptures project a warm sense of earthiness and show a profound concern for the environment and humanity. The sculpture on which the title of this exhibition is based employs an inflatable device in the shape of Taiwan — symbolizing the country’s need to stand up and face external pressures.
■ Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA, Taipei), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2552-3720. Admission is NT$50
■ Until June 6
Contemporary Chinese painter (or “art worker” as he prefers) Ying Yefu (嬰野賦) makes his Taiwan debut with Appetizer (頭盤). Employing gongbi (工筆), a meticulous and highly detailed brush technique found in traditional Chinese painting, Ying’s work explores the pain of others through disturbing images of children in various acts of love and violence.
■ Digital Arts Center (台北數位藝術中心), 180 Fuhua Rd, Taipei City (台北市福華路180號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Tel: (02) 7736-0708
■ Until June 16
Last week saw the appearance of another odious screed full of lies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian (肖千), in the Financial Review, a major Australian paper. Xiao’s piece was presented without challenge or caveat. His “Seven truths on why Taiwan always will be China’s” presented a “greatest hits” of the litany of PRC falsehoods. This includes: Taiwan’s indigenous peoples were descended from the people of China 30,000 years ago; a “Chinese” imperial government administrated Taiwan in the 14th century; Koxinga, also known as Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功), “recovered” Taiwan for China; the Qing owned
In Taiwan’s politics the party chair is an extremely influential position. Typically this person is the presumed presidential candidate or serving president. In the last presidential election, two of the three candidates were also leaders of their party. Only one party chair race had been planned for this year, but with the Jan. 1 resignation by the currently indicted Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) two parties are now in play. If a challenger to acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) appears we will examine that race in more depth. Currently their election is set for Feb. 15. EXTREMELY
Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 Taipei was in a jubilant, patriotic mood on the morning of Jan. 25, 1954. Flags hung outside shops and residences, people chanted anti-communist slogans and rousing music blared from loudspeakers. The occasion was the arrival of about 14,000 Chinese prisoners from the Korean War, who had elected to head to Taiwan instead of being repatriated to China. The majority landed in Keelung over three days and were paraded through the capital to great fanfare. Air Force planes dropped colorful flyers, one of which read, “You’re back, you’re finally back. You finally overcame the evil communist bandits and
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could gobble up US democracy itself. Biden used his farewell speech to the nation to deliver a shockingly dark message: that a nation which has always revered its entrepreneurs may now be at their mercy. “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” Biden said. He named no names, but his targets were clear: men like Elon Musk
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