The printmaking arts and crafts shop MBMore is currently exhibiting Aura: Young Japanese Artists’ Print Exhibition (日本青年藝術家9人展), an exhibition by nine Japanese artists. The works on display range from delicate etchings of birds perched on trees to dainty ladies dressed in frilly, feathered ensembles. It’s one of MBMore’s more modest exhibitions, with each piece of artwork being the roughly size of a small greeting card. However, in an era where digital art and giant-sized installations are being trumpeted, it’s refreshing to see old techniques such as woodblock prints and etchings still being used by young artists. The artworks also add to the shop’s homely vibe.
■ MBMore (岩筆模), 32-1, Chifeng St, Taipei City (台北市赤峰街32-1號); tel: (02) 2558-3395. Open Tuesday to Sundays from 1pm to 9pm
■ Until Jan. 17
Photo courtesy of MBMore
Beitou (北投) today is known for its natural hot springs and resorts where lovebirds go to canoodle. But if you’re a history buff, you’ll notice the signs around Thermal Valley (地熱谷) explaining the how sulfur — a property said to make your skin as smooth as a baby’s — came to be found in the area. Fascinated by this history, artist Yu Ji (于吉) created a series of videos, sculptures and installations tracing its discovery in Beitou (also known as Pataauw) for her latest exhibition at Mind Set Art Center, entitled Diary of Sulfur Mining — Pataauw (採硫日記 — 上卷). Her work conjures the sense of the thrill from an archaeological discovery or scientific expedition while still managing to be artistically minimalistic. Also, be sure to see if you can smell the sulfur in some of Yu’s sculptures.
■ Mind Set Art Center (安卓藝術), 16-1, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段16-1號), tel: (02) 2365-6008. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 2pm to 6pm
■ Until Jan. 24
Photo courtesy of Lin & Lin Gallery
Huang Pei-Ju’s (黃珮如) colorful, splotchy paintings and Christophe Prat’s dreamy, pastel hues complement one another perfectly in their latest exhibition, Deja Vu, which opens at Galleria H tomorrow. Seen from afar, Huang’s paintings resemble ink blotches, but from up close, cityscapes and the silhouettes of people become visible. The Paris-born Prat uses a similar color palette, though his paintings, by contrast, are more minimalistic, consisting of single-color squares and rectangles. While Huang’s work serves to befuddle the viewer and make them ponder inquisitively, Prat’s work has a rather calming effect instead.
■ Galleria H (恆畫廊), 12-1, Ln 58, Xinsheng S Rd, Taipei City (台北市新生南路一段58巷12-1號), tel: (02) 3322-2553. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 1pm to 7pm
■ Opens tomorrow. Until Jan. 31
Photo courtesy of Mind Set Art Center
When young Chinese artist Xie Fan (謝帆) made the switch from oil painting on canvas to oil painting on silk, some thought he was absolutely nuts (to say it’s difficult to paint on silk would be an understatement), while others thought the move was ingenious. Xie said he switched materials to better understand and preserve his heritage (of course), but the results are actually quite stunning. From billowing trees in dark forests to lush mountains peeking out from under layers of fog, Xie has managed to achieve a volume, depth and contrast between background and foreground that’s hard to achieve when painting on a surface as stubborn as silk. The simple scenes he depicts are as haunting as they are calming. Xie’s artwork can be seen on display starting tomorrow at Lin & Lin gallery in an exhibition entitled Xie Fan — One and A Half Years (謝帆 — 一年有半).
■ Lin & Lin Gallery (大未來林舍畫廊), 16 Dongfeng St, Taipei City (台北市東豐街16號), tel: (02) 2700-6866. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Opens tomorrow. Until Jan. 31
Japanese artist Hideki Kimura has been making waves in his country’s printmaking scene since the 1970s. Lately, he’s also been experimenting with painting on tiles, as well as filling entire gallery walls with lots of traditional-style fish motifs. Kimura’s style and palette spans a wide range, from opaque blues and grays to vibrant deep-red and gold hues. Kimura says of his tile paintings: “I think that it is disappearing, nothing.” Profound. His latest exhibition, Misty, which is held at Taipei’s Galerie Grand Siecle, includes a selection of his opaque, “disappearing” tile paintings.
■ 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 Feb. 21
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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