Wang Jun-jieh (王俊傑) uses video, photography and mixed-media to reinterpret Marcel Duchamp’s Etant Donnes in Project Rrose: Love and Death (若絲計畫：愛與死). The “Rrose” of the exhibit’s title refers to a pseudonym used by Duchamp and appears in a series of photos of him dressed as a woman, shot by Man Ray. Wang’s focus revolves around “eros and civilization,” the idea put forth by Herbert Marcuse that humanity’s struggles can be found in the conscious suppression of our instincts.
■ 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 June 19
Part calligraphy exhibition and part hagiography of one of Taiwan’s most visible religious leaders, Travel Like the Clouds and Water — Exhibition of the Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s One-Stroke Calligraphy (雲水天下：星雲大師一筆字書法展) offers a fascinating look at the merging of art and religion. Travel Like the Clouds and Water presents hundreds of “calligraphic works, including Buddhist epigrams, concise teachings and wise thoughts,” according to the museum’s introduction, by Buddhist Master Hsing Yun (星雲法師), founder of Fo Guang Shan Monastery (佛光山). The museum hopes that “these writings will bring viewers closer to the mind of a spiritual master and inspire them to attain spiritual wisdom and bliss.” Odd words for a museum exhibit, perhaps, but the show does demonstrate the continued importance of religion, and charismatic leaders like Hsing Yun, in Taiwan.
■ National Museum of History (國立歷史博物館), 49 Nanhai Rd, Taipei City (台北市南海路49號), tel: (02) 2361-0270. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm. Admission: NT$30
■ Until June 6
The Uncertain Gravity of Being (非關輕/重) brings together six well-known artists — Michael Lin (林明弘), Hong Shao-pei (洪紹裴), Huang Bow-wei (黃柏維), Yeh Hung-hsing (葉紅杏), Tsai Yu-shan (蔡玉珊) and Liu Shih-tung (劉時棟) — whose works touch on the tropes of gravity and lightness.
■ Gallery 100 (百藝畫廊), 6, Ln 30, Changan E Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市長安東路一段30巷6號), tel: (02) 2536-2120. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Until Sunday
This is the final week to see Celebration by Marc Chagall (生日快樂 — 夏卡爾的愛與美) in Taipei before the exhibition travels to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (國立台灣美術館) in Taichung, where it opens on June 4. The show presents more than 100 works by the Russia-born French artist, a pioneer of European modernism who synthesized the modernist art movements of cubism, symbolism and fauvism. But as this exhibition reveals, Chagall remained an exponent of the glories of his native village, its colorful flowers and ancient hovels. The works on display are gathered from museums and private collections in Japan, and include pieces from collections in France and Switzerland. Chagall’s 1915 masterpiece L’Anniversaire forms the centerpiece of the exhibition, which showcases Chagall’s art and his passion for color.
■ National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), 221, Zhishan Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市至善路二段221號), tel: (02) 8692-5588 X2312 (10:30am to 6:30pm). Open daily from 9am to 5pm. Admission: NT$250
■ Until Sunday
Call for submissions:
This is the final week to submit an application for Taipei Artist Village’s artist-in-residency program for Taipei Artist Village or Treasure Hill Artist Village. Taipei Artist Village is also accepting applications for exhibit proposals for next year. Details and submission guidelines can be downloaded from the Taipei Artist Village Web site at www.artistvillage.org (Chinese and English). Applications sent by e-mail are not being accepted.
■ Submission deadline is May 31
■ For inquiries about the artist-in-residence program and exhibition, send an e-mail to air@artistvillage.org or call (02) 3393-7377
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction. Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
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