Timed, perhaps, to coincide with the Taipei International Flora Expo, Blooming (心花朵朵開) presents vibrant and “superflat” flower paintings by Chinese-born, Taiwan-based artist Wu Hao (吳昊). If the curators are to be believed, Wu’s work can be reinterpreted through the lens of contemporary artists such as Takashi Murakami who popularized the superflat genre.
■ Metaphysical Art Gallery (形而上畫廊), 7F, 219, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段219號7樓). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6:30pm. Tel: (02) 2711-0055
■ Opening reception, including magic show and acrobatic performance on Saturday at 3pm. Until Oct. 3
The Taipei Biennial (2010臺北雙年展) program introduction begins with a question: “One can easily imagine an exhibition of political art, but what about an exhibition on the politics of art?” The “politics of art” will take center stage at the biennial by exploring the origin, function, size and scale of the biennial and, perhaps more interestingly, raise questions about the movers and shakers behind these events. The exhibition literature continues: “By turning an exhibition inward and, in fact, against its grain — dissolving the supposed boundaries between artistic and curatorial practices, discourses and reception — this exhibition unravels the conventionally discrete artistic presentation that is otherwise mystified.” Curators Lin Hong-john (林宏璋) and Tirdad Zolghadr attempt to illustrate the multifarious elements that go into making a biennial by revealing the social circumstances upon which art is created and consumed. With so much focus on politics, one might be left wondering about aesthetics and beauty. But perhaps politics is the new beauty. As the program says: “The division between the social and the aesthetic is no longer distinguishable and thus, rendered obsolete.” Expect a lot of new media and performance art. On the Net: www.taipeibiennial.org.
■ 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). Open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm, closes at 8:30pm on Saturdays. Tel: (02) 2595-7656. Portions of the biennial are being staged at other locations throughout Taipei. For complete details (in English and Chinese) go to: www.taipeibiennial.org
■ Until Nov. 14
Mountains, hot springs and seascapes are among the places represented in A Piece of Place
(地的片段), a three-person exhibition of new works by Huang Pin-ling (黃品玲), Bai Cian-yu (白倩于) and Pan Shih-hao(潘士豪). The artists are united in their use of earthy colors to represent their own ideas about Taiwan’s unique locales and people.
■ A Gallery (一畫廊), 22, Alley 36, Ln 147, Xinyi Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市信義路三段147巷36弄22號). Open Mondays to Saturdays from 1pm to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2702-3327
■ Until Sept. 25
John Fung’s (馮建中) solo exhibit of photo collages at Taiwan International Visual Arts Center draws attention to the environmental and spatial problems of large cities. Fung points his camera upwards and through a process of multi-exposure and overlapping of scenes creates a sometimes dizzying, sometimes expansive perspective. The absence of any flora or fauna in Fung’s photos suggests an unhealthy concrete environment.
■ Taiwan International Visual Arts Center (TIVAC — 台灣國際視覺藝術中心), 29, Ln 45, Liaoning St, Taipei City (台北市遼寧街45巷29號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2773-3347
■ Until Oct. 3
Arguably one of the most important modern interpreters of traditional ink brush painters, Liu Kuo-sung (劉國松) has received considerable attention over the past few years because of renewed interest in modern (i.e. Western) Chinese ink brush painting. Though this solo show at Capital Art offers little that is new in terms of themes, it is worth catching because it displays some of Liu’s smaller and lesser-known works.
■ Capital Art Center (首都藝術中心), 2F, 343, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段343號2樓). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2775-5268
■ Until Sept. 25
China-born, US-based artist Pan Qiliu (潘其流) follows the tradition of the Hangzhou Academy of Fine Arts where he studied under Lin Fengmian (林風眠), who is considered by many scholars as the pioneer of modern Chinese oil painting. More commonly known as a sculptor, Pan shows that he is an accomplished interpreter of abstract expressionism in works that are notable for the application of low-relief, which gives the paintings greater depth.
■ 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 Sept. 26
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
In the tourism desert that is most of Changhua County, at least one place stands out as a remarkable exception: one of Taiwan’s earliest Han Chinese settlements, Lukang. Packed with temples and restored buildings showcasing different eras in Taiwan’s settlement history, the downtown area is best explored on foot. As you make your way through winding narrow alleys where even Taiwanese scooters seldom pass, you are sure to come across surprise after surprise. The old Taisugar railway station is a good jumping-off point for a walking tour of downtown Lukang. Though the interior is not open to the public, the exterior
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