During his first Taipei solo show in March, artist Jason Cole Mager exhibited a piece where, for the first time, he used humor to address his usually serious themes exploring Taiwan’s politics and complex history. Titled Cultural Colonization, Have a Nice Day, it depicted repeating symbols of the Japanese rising sun juxtaposed with the logo for the Japanese-owned 7-Eleven.
Based on this single work, Mager has created 23 new pieces for his latest exhibition, “Culture, Company & Consummation” (結·地·企) at Taipei’s Shalon Shalom (你好沙龍). He will discuss his work at the space tomorrow with Kenneth Lin (林志鴻), chief editor of Art Collection + Design magazine.
Having lived in Taiwan for nearly a decade, Mager’s work has become increasingly personal and embracing of local culture, this time incorporating the colorful floral cloth now known as “Hakka fabric” — as his wife is part-Hakka.
Photo courtesy of Jason Cole Mager
Her stories of this fabric being used for bedding, curtains and tablecloths and its eventual wear and tear inspire several paintings that appear to be bleached, creating a painterly space, Mager says. He adds that these works do not necessarily inform the viewer of their source, but encourage discourse as the fabric’s familiarity and alteration raise questions.
Other paintings directly expand on the 7-Eleven theme — one image uses the Chinese characters for “seven” and “eleven,” as Mager questions why the logo, ubiquitous in Asia, is not made to be read by the local community. Another replaces the seven with an eight and the eleven with the word “lucky,” a nod to the local superstition surrounding the number.
-Artist talk tomorrow at 7pm at Shalom Shalom, 3, Ln 165, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市新生南路一段165巷3號)
Photo courtesy of Jason Cole Mager
-Exhibition runs until Nov. 5
For many people, Bilingual Nation 2030 begins and ends in the classroom. Since the policy was launched in 2018, the debate has centered on students, teachers and the pressure placed on schools. Yet the policy was never solely about English education. The government’s official plan also calls for bilingualization in Taiwan’s government services, laws and regulations, and living environment. The goal is to make Taiwan more inclusive and accessible to international enterprises and talent and better prepared for global economic and trade conditions. After eight years, that grand vision is due for a pulse check. RULES THAT CAN BE READ For Harper Chen (陳虹宇), an adviser
Traditionally, indigenous people in Taiwan’s mountains practice swidden cultivation, or “slash and burn” agriculture, a practice common in human history. According to a 2016 research article in the International Journal of Environmental Sustainability, among the Atayal people, this began with a search for suitable forested slopeland. The trees are burnt for fertilizer and the land cleared of stones. The stones and wood are then piled up to make fences, while both dead and standing trees are retained on the plot. The fences are used to grow climbing crops like squash and beans. The plot itself supports farming for three years.
The breakwater stretches out to sea from the sprawling Kaohsiung port in southern Taiwan. Normally, it’s crowded with massive tankers ferrying liquefied natural gas from Qatar to be stored in the bulbous white tanks that dot the shoreline. These are not normal times, though, and not a single shipment from Qatar has docked at the Yongan terminal since early March after the Strait of Hormuz was shuttered. The suspension has provided a realistic preview of a potential Chinese blockade, a move that would throttle an economy anchored by the world’s most advanced and power-hungry semiconductor industry. It is a stark reminder of
May 4 to May 10 It was once said that if you hadn’t performed at the Sapphire Grand Cabaret (藍寶石大歌廳), you couldn’t truly be considered a star. Taking the stage at the legendary Kaohsiung club was more than just a concert. Performers were expected to entertain in every sense, wearing outlandish or revealing costumes and staying quick on their feet as sharp-tongued, over-the-top hosts asked questions and delivered jokes that would be seen as vulgar, even offensive, by today’s standards. Opening in May 1967 during a period of strict political and social control, Sapphire offered a rare outlet for audiences in
RSS