Taipei Artist Village is holding exhibitions by artists who have spent the past few months in their residency program. First up, Taiwan-born, US-based artist Jawshing Arthur Liou (劉肇興) employs video and animation installation to delve into the culinary practices of different cultures in Things That Are Edible (食事). With titles such as Round (圓) and The Insatiable (未央), Liou’s videos are also an ironic look at our gluttonous times.
■ Barry Room, Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村百里廳), 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City
(台北市北平東路7號). Open daily from 10am to 7:30pm. Tel: (02) 3393-7377
■ Opening reception on Saturday at 7pm. Until Aug. 29
Meanwhile, out at Grass Mountain Village, a collective of young photographers called Invalidation Brothers (無效兄弟) — Chiu Chih-hua (丘智華), Tien Chi-chuan (田季全), Lee Ming-yu (李明瑜) and Lin Cheng-wei (林正偉) — have snapped images of religious rituals with mountain scenes as a backdrop. Entitled Penglai Grass Mountain (蓬萊仙山), these black-and-white photos point at the ubiquity of the sacred in our mundane lives.
■ Grass Mountain Artist Village (草山國際藝術村), 92 Hudi Rd, Taipei City (台北市湖底路92號). Open Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am to 4pm. Tel: (02) 2862-2404
■ Opening reception on Saturday at 11am. Until Sept. 5
Tseng Yu-chin (曾御欽) has earned a reputation as a deft narrator of the pain, pleasure and confusion of childhood through video and photography. His solo exhibit at Nou’s Gallery (formerly Leisure Art Center — 悠閒藝術中心) continues down this avenue, though these images seem darker and more foreboding than his earlier work.
■ Nou Gallery, 232, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段232號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2700-0239
■ Opening reception on Saturday at 3pm. Until Aug. 29
Tina Keng (耿桂英) demonstrates her playful sense of humor with Oopject/un/intentional objects (哎呀的物件展). The exhibit seeks, through the assemblage of mundane objects haphazardly placed throughout the gallery, to question the nature of art (and by extension the galleries and museums that exhibit it). Avant-garde? Perhaps. But the showing of a burnt lid of a pot or a crumpled ball of paper reminds one of the conceptual experiments embodied in Duchamp’s toilet.
■ 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 Aug. 29
Portraying East From Istanbul (墨刻見東方) is a solo show of abstract paintings by Turkish artist Tanju Demirci.
■ Wingrow Art Gallery (萬國際藝術公司), 5, Ln 175, Da-an Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市大安路一段175巷5號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2325-8253
■ Until Aug. 26
The Land is Speaking (土地在說話) is a solo exhibit of new works by figurative painter Cheng Chien-chang (鄭見昌).
■ Lee Gallery (黎畫廊), 10, Ln 175, Da-an Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市大安路一段175巷10號). For a viewing call (02) 2325-6688
■ Until Aug. 29
The 99 Degrees Art Center is currently holding a group exhibit by four well-known Taiwanese landscape painters. The paintings of Chiu Hsien-te (邱顯德) and Jan Chin-shui (詹金水) depict expansive mountain scenes, while Hsu Ming-hsung (許敏雄) offers her interpretation of Taiwan’s landscape through vibrant pastel-colored tableaus. Wu Ting-hsien (吳丁賢) stands apart from the other three artists with his minimalist approach to landscape painting and expressionist brushstrokes.
■ 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 Sept. 21
Chinese contemporary artist Yang Yongliang’s (楊泳梁) solo show draws on the tradition of Chinese landscape painting — though with a twist. Or a bang. Using images he has shot of China’s larger cities, which he then manipulates on a computer, Yang invents a post-apocalyptic world of demolished buildings, bombed-out cities and withered vegetation. The evocative landscapes are an overt critique of China’s rapidly industrializing society.
■ My Humble House Art Gallery, B1, 12, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路一段12號B1). Open daily from 11am to 8pm. Tel: (02) 3322-3833
■ Until Sept. 5
Following the shock complete failure of all the recall votes against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers on July 26, pan-blue supporters and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were giddy with victory. A notable exception was KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), who knew better. At a press conference on July 29, he bowed deeply in gratitude to the voters and said the recalls were “not about which party won or lost, but were a great victory for the Taiwanese voters.” The entire recall process was a disaster for both the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The only bright spot for
Aug. 11 to Aug. 17 Those who never heard of architect Hsiu Tse-lan (修澤蘭) must have seen her work — on the reverse of the NT$100 bill is the Yangmingshan Zhongshan Hall (陽明山中山樓). Then-president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) reportedly hand-picked her for the job and gave her just 13 months to complete it in time for the centennial of Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen’s birth on Nov. 12, 1966. Another landmark project is Garden City (花園新城) in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) — Taiwan’s first mountainside planned community, which Hsiu initiated in 1968. She was involved in every stage, from selecting
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The great number of islands that make up the Penghu archipelago make it a fascinating place to come back and explore again and again. On your next trip to Penghu, why not get off the beaten path and explore a lesser-traveled outlying island? Jibei Island (吉貝嶼) in Baisha Township (白沙鄉) is a popular destination for its long white sand beach and water activities. However, three other permanently inhabited islands in the township put a unique spin on the traditional Penghu charm, making them great destinations for the curious tourist: Yuanbeiyu (員貝嶼), Niaoyu (鳥嶼) and Dacangyu (大倉嶼). YUANBEIYU Citou Wharf (岐頭碼頭) connects the mainland
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