An exhibition featuring 116 iconic sculptures by 11 artists recognized as Taiwanese masters is taking place in Taipei’s Zhongshan Hall Square, Guangfu Auditorium, in honor of pioneering artist Huang Tu-shui (黃土水).
According to the Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, this year marks the 120th year of Huang’s birth, and to pay respect to the trailblazing artist and his generation, Huang and 10 other well-known Taiwanese artists’ works are displayed in “Homage to the master: Special exhibition of 11 grand old sculptors.”
Influenced by his elder brother, a carpenter, Huang nurtured an interest in sculpting since he was a child. He moved to Japan after graduating from Taiwan Normal University to study Western sculpture at Tokyo University of the Arts, the spokesperson said. He was the first Taiwanese student in the university’s history.
Photo: Taipei City Government Department of Cultural Affairs
In 1930, Huang died in Japan at the age of 36 due to peritonitis.
In his short life, Huang created many works such as Sweet Dew (甘露水), Bust of a Girl (女孩胸像), the Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha (釋迦像) and Study of a Woman Tying her Hair in the Nude (結髮裸婦), the department official said.
The Ministry of Culture’s Antiquities Commission declared Huang’s alabaster relief Water Buffaloes (水牛群像) a national treasure, the first Taiwanese artifact to receive the distinction in the 20th century, the official said.
The other artists whose sculptures are displayed include Pu Tien-sheng (蒲添生), Chiu Yun (丘雲), Chen Hsia-yu (陳夏雨), Chueh Ming-te (闕明德), Chen Ting-shih (陳庭詩), Ho Ming-chi (何明績), Chen Ing-chieh (陳英傑), Wang Shui-ho (王水河), Yuyu Yang (楊英風) and Lee Tsai-chien (李再鈐), the official said.
Major art pieces displayed include Hair Combing (梳頭), Wu Feng on Horse (吳鳳騎馬), Lu Xun — The poet in Meditation (沉思的詩人魯迅), and Lin Jin-chuan the Teacher (林靖娟老師), a bronze statue dedicated to the kindergarten teacher who died saving her students in a 1992 fire, the department said.
A temporary post office has been erected near Zhongshan Hall, where special commemorative stamps of Huang’s Water Buffaloes are sold in addition to other souvenirs such as illustrated books, postcards, fans, notebooks and canvas bags, the official said.
The exhibition runs until Jan. 31 next year.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS