Taipei’s dilapidated Nanjichang community (南機場) has recently been trying to revitalize itself through numerous urban renewal projects such as community gardens and barista training for high school dropouts from the neighborhood. Lately, TC Lin (林道明), a street and documentary photography instructor at Zhongzheng Community College, has been drawing more attention to the community through his photography walks, where he leads photographers on tours throughout Nanjichang and allows them to photograph its residents and the surrounding area. The college is putting on an exhibition in Nanjichang featuring the works of Taiwanese and foreign artists in the hope of drawing more awareness to this vibrant community. The opening reception of Nanjichang International Photo Exhibition (南機場國際攝影展) is tomorrow at 1:30pm.
■ Nanjichang (南機場), 4, Ln 301, Zhonghua Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市中華路2段301巷4號)
■ Opening event is tomorrow from 1:30pm to 5pm. Exhibition runs until May 7
Photo courtesy of Tina Keng Gallery
Luo Jr-shin (羅智信) is doing well for himself this year with a solo exhibition at Michael Ku Gallery last month and an appearance at Art Basel Hong Kong. His latest solo exhibition, Slide, Don’t Slip (地板項目), is currently on view at Taipei’s VT Art Salon. The exhibition showcases two of the artist’s most recent works, Foam to Form and A Portrait of a Young Man as a Sculptor. Luo, who is known for converting everyday household items into works of art, continues to do this for both pieces. Foam to Form considers the impact of polystyrene or Styrofoam on the environment. Portrait, which derives its name from James Joyce’s semi-autobiographical novel, is an introspective take on what it means to be an artist using materials such as clay, timber and metal to create what looks like everyday household items.
■ 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), tel: (02) 2516-1060. Open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 1:30pm to 9pm, and Fridays and Saturdays from 1:30pm to 10pm
■ Until May 21
Photo courtesy of A Gallery
Tina Keng Gallery is currently featuring Novel Energy: The End is the Beginning (新能量：終點亦為起點), an exhibition encompassing four decades of artwork by the famed Shanghai-born, Taiwan-raised painter Hsiao Chin (蕭勤). Hsiao, who lived and worked in Barcelona, Milan, Paris, London and New York, is known for combining Chinese and Western styles of painting and for being instrumental in the founding of modern Taiwanese art. His cheerful, vibrant brush strokes and simple, asymmetrical shapes suggest Chinese brush painting and Western expressionism.
■ Tina Keng Gallery (耿畫廊), 15, Ln 548, Ruiguang Rd, Taipei City (台北市瑞光路548巷15號), tel: (02) 2659-0798. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 7pm
■ Until May 26
Photo courtesy of VT Art Salon
On display at Taipei’s A Gallery is Floating Edge (漫漫/浮遊), a joint exhibition by painters Hung Yi-tan (洪乙丹) and Mao Ming-tai (茆明泰) whose work depicts of the beauty and danger of living on the edge. Hung paints skydivers propelling themselves down abysses and jungles using emotive hues such as deep purple and lush green, though he paints from a perspective that is somewhat detached — the skydiver is not the focal point, but part of the vast landscape. Mao employs the ocean as a metaphor with the ebb and flow of the tides, symbolizing the vicissitudes of life.
■ A Gallery (當代一畫廊), 22, Alley 36, Lane 147, Xinyi Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市信義路三段147巷36弄22號), tel: (02) 2702-3327. Open Mondays to Saturdays from 10am to 6pm
■ Until May 28
Photo courtesy of A Gallery
Wang Ya-hui’s (王雅慧) latest solo exhibition, A Slant of Light (返影入深林), was inspired by Tang dynasty poet and painter Wang Wei (王維), who wrote about and painted rivers, mountains, water droplets, mist and other rarefied stuff. Likewise, Wang Ya-hui tries to convey equally profound musings on life, albeit using more contemporary media such as video installation. According to the gallery notes, the spectator will be lured into Wang’s work, “as visual clues beckon them to scrutinize her thoughts, inspiring them to contemplate the exterior world.” Deep stuff.
■ TKG+ Projects, B1, 15, Ln 548, Ruiguang Rd, Taipei City (台北市瑞光路548巷15號B1), tel: (02) 2659-0798. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 7pm
■ Until June 5
Photo courtesy of TFAM
The winning design of the 2016 X-site (第二屆X-site計畫), an annual competition that seeks to bring architectural elements to public art, is currently on display outside the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. This year’s piece, Floating (浮光之間), is named after traditional Chinese pavilions — those covered structures that are usually found in the middle of picturesque gardens which function as breezy public rest stops for weary commuters and travelers. Designed by Shen Ting Tseng Architects (沈庭增建築製作), which consists of Shen Ting-tseng (沈庭增), Li Ya-chi (李雅琪) and Huang Hsin-yi (黃馨儀), the installation puts a modern spin on the Chinese pavilion by being sleek and industrial. The structure is situated outdoors and accessible to the public.
■ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館 TFAM), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市中山北路三段181號), tel: (02) 2595-7656. Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:30am to 5:30pm and until 8:30pm on Saturdays
■ Until July 3
Photo courtesy of TKG+
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