In The Adventures in Mount Yu (玉山迷蹤), a series of collage-like paintings in two parts, Tu Pei-shih (杜珮詩) ponders the role social movements play in the development of a Taiwanese consciousness. The first part imagines a post-nuclear Taiwanese landscape where the inhabitants live under a totalitarian regime that only allows drinking, eating, sex and the viewing of news. The second part examines social movements that have formed in the wake of recent events, such as the expropriation of farmland in Miaoli County’s Dapu Borough (大埔). Though Tu says she is not primarily concerned with social activism, her paintings convey a superficial, stylized and trivial world — one that is meant to characterize the era in which she lives.
■ Project Fulfill Art Space (就在藝術中心), 2, Alley 45, Ln 147, Xinyi Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市信義路三段147巷45弄2號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 6pm. Tel: (02) 2707-6942
■ Opening reception on Sunday at 4pm. Until Dec. 5
Photo courtesy of Project Fulfill Art Space
Japanese artist Kiriko Iida’s series of new works offers viewers a glimpse of a dreamy world where the conflict between immortality and transience plays out. Iida’s work, reminiscent of the stylized paintings of Gustav Klimt, but with a manga bent, often feature prepubescent beings in a natural environment.
■ Soka Art Center (索卡藝術中心), 2F, 57, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段57號2樓). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2570-0390
■ Opening reception on Saturday at 4pm. Until Nov. 28
If you didn’t get a chance to check out the magnificent ornithological photos by John&Fish — the moniker for Sung Yi-chang (宋宜璋) and Hsiao Tsun-hsien (蕭尊賢) — earlier this summer at TIVAC, now is your opportunity to do so at Sincewell Gallery. The oddly titled exhibit, Aboriginal Elf of Taiwan (台灣的原鄉精靈), includes 24 of their works shot over the past year.
■ Sincewell Gallery (新思惟人文空間), 2F, 37 Mingjhe Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市明哲路37號2樓). Open daily from noon to 10pm. Tel: (07) 345-2699
■ Opening reception on Saturday at 2:30pm. Until Dec. 5
Health Art & Taiwan Models (健康藝術之線形) & (台灣身體‧模朵) is an exhibit by Peter Lee (李春信) and Tsou Sung-ho (鄒松鶴). Lee combines the ideas that underpin Chinese medicine with Confucian philosophy to create paintings of the human form that are meant to soothe the soul — hence “health art.” Tsou’s abstract three-dimensional sculptures are inspired by the female form.
■ Chung Yuan Christian University Art Center (中原大學藝術中心), 200 Jhongbei Rd, Jhongli City, Taoyuan County (桃園縣中壢市中北路200號). Open Mondays to Fridays from 10am to 6pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 1pm to 5pm. Tel: (03) 265-1261
■ Opening reception on Saturday at 12:30pm. Until Nov. 28
Ukiyo-e, a Japanese term meaning “pictures of the floating world,” is an art movement that flourished during the colorful urban culture of Edo (today’s Tokyo) in the late 17th century and continued up until the 20th century. Beauties and Landscapes of the Floating World: Ukiyo-e From the Museum’s Collection (美人美景‧浮世風情－館藏浮世繪展) displays 40 Ukiyo-e prints from the National Museum of History’s permanent collection that were donated by the artist Tadashi Goino in 1998. Divided into four parts — Beauties; Landscapes; Actors; and Scenes from the Tale of Genji — the exhibit provides an excellent introduction to this distinctively Japanese style of art.
■ 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 Dec. 26
VT Art Salon is currently holding an exhibit by two artists that might appeal to people who play video games too much. Tsai Tsung-yu’s (蔡宗祐) series of representational paintings, Master Online (主人Online), looks at the otaku lifestyle, particularly the cheerless living environments of these “home boys.” Chou Tai-chun (周代焌), a self-described video game addict, creates paintings that are “flat, shallow, slightly violent but not really harmful.” His Rear Area (大後方) seeks to show how the lack of transparency in a hyper-wired world results in ignorant citizens incapable of criticizing their political and economic masters.
■ VT Art Salon (非常廟藝文空間), B1, 47 Yitong St, Taipei City (台北市伊通街47號B1). Open Tuesdays to Thursdays 2pm to 11pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 2pm to 1am. Tel: (02) 2516-1060
■ Until Nov. 27
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
The sprawling port city of Kaohsiung seldom wins plaudits for its beauty or architectural history. That said, like any other metropolis of its size, it does have a number of strange or striking buildings. This article describes a few such curiosities, all but one of which I stumbled across by accident. BOMBPROOF HANGARS Just north of Kaohsiung International Airport, hidden among houses and small apartment buildings that look as though they were built between 15 and 30 years ago, are two mysterious bunker-like structures that date from the airport’s establishment as a Japanese base during World War II. Each is just about
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
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
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