Taiwan and Japan yesterday celebrated their friendship at the opening ceremony of Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara’s solo exhibition in Taipei, with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) expressing hope that the two sides could join hands to face global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Yoshitomo Nara’s exhibition was made possible thanks to the efforts of many people and most importantly, the friendship built up between Taiwan and Japan over a long period of time,” Tsai said at the ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake.
Bilateral exchanges after the natural disaster gave the two sides an opportunity to share warmth and care with each other, she said, adding that the support could be felt in the exhibition.
Photo: Ling Mei-hsueh, Taipei Times
Tsai also thanked Nara, with whom she had breakfast earlier this week, for the painting Hazy Humid Day, which he dedicated to Taiwan.
Japanese Representative to Taiwan Hiroyasu Izumi also attended the opening ceremony for the free exhibition at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, which runs from today until June 20.
He thanked Taiwan for lending a helping hand after the earthquake and tsunami, and expressed hope that there can be long-lasting bilateral friendship.
While Nara did not attend the ceremony, he recorded a video in which he said that the exhibition was aimed to express gratitude for Taiwan’s generosity and huge aid donation for Japan after the disaster.
Having overcome the trauma caused by the earthquake and tsunami, Nara spent several years before going back to the canvas and emerged with the emblematic work Miss Moonlight last year.
Also stunning is Hazy Humid Day, which Nara said is not only a dedication to Taiwan, which he has visited several times, but also the best encouragement to himself.
The painting was completed in 10 days in January, after months of preparation, he added.
Giving a review of the exhibition, Nara said: “This is the best work I, at this stage, have created. This is my true level of competence and my most genuine self.”
The exhibition, featuring 53 works of art, is to move to the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in July and the Tainan Art Museum in November, co-organizer the General Association of Chinese Culture said.
Nara said he would return to Taiwan again to help with additional exhibition arrangements.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
COVID-19 infections have climbed for three consecutive weeks and are likely to reach another peak between next month and June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Weekly hospital visits for the disease increased by 19 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. From Tuesday last week to yesterday, 21 cases of severe COVID-19 and seven deaths were confirmed, and from Sept. 1 last year to yesterday, there were 600 cases and 129 deaths, he said. From Oct. 1 last year to yesterday, 95.9 percent of the severe cases and 96.7 percent of the deaths
Restarting the No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant would take up to 18 months, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said today. Kuo was answering questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, where legislators are considering amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條) amid concerns about the consequences of the Pingtung County reactor’s decommissioning scheduled for May 17. Its decommissioning is to mark the end of Taiwan’s nuclear power production. However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of existing
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday demanded that Somalia reverse its decision prohibiting Taiwanese passport holders from entering or transiting through the country. Somalia said it is following the “one China” principle based on UN Resolution 2758. The ministry said that Somalia is misinterpreting the resolution under China’s instigation, creating a false impression that Taiwan is subordinate to China. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority told airlines on Tuesday last week that starting today, any passengers with passports or travel documents issued from Taiwan or its affiliated institutions would not be allowed to enter or transit through Somalia. The decision comes as Taiwan is boosting
RSS