Reality Impalpable (不確定的真相) is a solo exhibition of works by Chinese artist Li Hui (李暉). Li’s light installations — including one composed of 13,000 LEDs — are meant to serve as a symbol of China’s hectic and rapidly changing society, particularly his hometown of Beijing, which is contrasted with the philosophies of Buddhism and Confucianism.
■ Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA, Taipei), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號), tel: (02) 2552-3720. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Admission: NT$50
■ Opening reception on Friday at 6pm. Until June 26
Photo courtesy of MOCA, Taipei
Return to the Essence (返本歸真) surveys Taiwan’s abstract painting scene through the work of five artists: Chu Teh-i (曲德益), Lee Shi-chi (李錫奇), Tsong Pu (莊普), Yang Chi-hung (楊識宏) and Hsueh Pao-shia (薛保瑕).
■ Red Gold Fine Art (赤粒藝術), 15, Ln 116, Da-an Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市大安路一段116巷15號), tel: (02) 8772-5887. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Opening reception on Sunday at 3pm. Until May 29
Modigliani and his Circle showcases works by and documents about Italian figurative painter Amedeo Modigliani and some of his friends and contemporaries, including Moise Kisling and Max Jacob. This is the first exhibition dedicated to Modigliani in Asia.
■ Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, 80 Meishuguan Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市美術館路80號), tel: (07) 555-0331. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm. Admission: NT$260
■ Until July 31
Shanghai’s influx of foreign influences toward the end of the 19th century set traditional Chinese ink painting on a new trajectory, as an exhibit of 20 works by 16 artists at 99 Degrees Art Center attempts to show. The pluralistic tradition that evolved from the merging of disparate cultures and artistic styles continues to the present day. The works on exhibit span the past 100 years and include examples by Ren Bonian (任伯年), Wu Changshuo (吳昌碩), Huang Binhong (黃賓虹) and Chang Dai-chien (張大千).
■ 99 Degrees Art Center (99度藝術中心), 5F, 259, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段259號5樓), tel: (02) 2700-3099. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6pm
■ Until May 29
The Animal’s Soliloquy (動物的獨白) presents a new series of surrealist and psychedelic paintings of animals by Johnny Leo (廖文彬). Leo’s dreamy paintings address environmental degradation.
■ Butchart Contemporary Art Space (布查當代藝術空間), 155, Linong St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市立農街二段155號), tel: (02) 2820-9920. Open daily from 11am to 9:30pm
■ Until May 16
Sound Creature (聲音生物) is an exhibition of sound installations featuring environmental sound artist (wind, waves, water) Wang Fu-jui (王福瑞), cassette tape experimenter (classical music) Chang Yung-ta (張永達) and interactive sound installation guru Hiroko Mugibayashi from Japan, among others.
■ 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), tel: (02) 2578-5630. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 6pm.
■ Until May 8
May 18 to May 24 Pastor Yang Hsu’s (楊煦) congregation was shocked upon seeing the land he chose to build his orphanage. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only way to access it was to cross a river by foot. The soil was poor due to runoff, and large rocks strewn across the plot prevented much from growing. In addition, there was no running water or electricity. But it was all Yang could afford. He and his Indigenous Atayal wife Lin Feng-ying (林鳳英) had already been caring for 24 orphans in their home, and they were in
On May 2, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), at a meeting in support of Taipei city councilors at party headquarters, compared President William Lai (賴清德) to Hitler. Chu claimed that unlike any other democracy worldwide in history, no other leader was rooting out opposing parties like Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). That his statements are wildly inaccurate was not the point. It was a rallying cry, not a history lesson. This was intentional to provoke the international diplomatic community into a response, which was promptly provided. Both the German and Israeli offices issued statements on Facebook
Even by the standards of Ukraine’s International Legion, which comprises volunteers from over 55 countries, Han has an unusual backstory. Born in Taichung, he grew up in Costa Rica — then one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — where a relative worked for the embassy. After attending an American international high school in San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, Han — who prefers to use only his given name for OPSEC (operations security) reasons — moved to the US in his teens. He attended Penn State University before returning to Taiwan to work in the semiconductor industry in Kaohsiung, where he
Australia’s ABC last week published a piece on the recall campaign. The article emphasized the divisions in Taiwanese society and blamed the recall for worsening them. It quotes a supporter of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) as saying “I’m 43 years old, born and raised here, and I’ve never seen the country this divided in my entire life.” Apparently, as an adult, she slept through the post-election violence in 2000 and 2004 by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the veiled coup threats by the military when Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) became president, the 2006 Red Shirt protests against him ginned up by
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