On a Sunday afternoon in Pingtung County’s Linbian Township (林邊), third-grader Lin Li-cheng (林立誠) watched with excitement as an artist painted an illustration outside his elementary school.
Colorblind Turkish artist Faith Kucuk was painting a red-haired girl lying in front of the school’s entrance while reading a colorful book.
Kucuk arrived in Taiwan on a 10-hour flight from Istanbul on Nov. 19, and immediately took a High Speed Rail train to Ci Fong Elementary School to start the project.
Photo: CNA
It was his fourth illustration in Taiwan, after creating similar visual spectacles at schools in Taitung County, Chiayi County and Alishan.
He has created pieces at more than 20 schools around the world, including in Belarus, France, Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Portugal, Russia, South Korea, Spain and Ukraine.
Kucuk said he travels the globe as a volunteer artist because he believes art makes the world better.
He has traveled to more than 200 schools in Turkey for the same reason, he said.
In Turkey, he founded The Cartoon Mill to teach art and animation in Kas and the Cappadocia region.
For two days in Linbian, Kucuk’s art drew the attention of the 80 students enrolled in the school.
Many students used their recess to check on the artist’s progress, asking Kucuk questions such as why the girl had red hair instead of black.
Kucuk was not shy about interacting with the children, and he sometimes passed his paint brush to students such as Lin so that they could participate in the project.
“The students all seem to be very excited today,” Kucuk said as he worked.
He said he hoped the project would inspire the students.
“I hope that they never lose the same sense of happiness and excitement... No matter what they choose to pursue as their career in the future, I hope they will always be able to convey honesty, kindness and beauty to those around them,” he said.
Ci Fong Elementary School principal Kuo Hsi-te (郭希得) said that although the school’s 65-year-old building is to be demolished and rebuilt next year, Kucuk’s work would be preserved so that it remains with the school and its students for a long time.
Kuo added that the school might also recreate the artwork as a wall mosaic on the new building.
Kucuk is also in Taiwan to receive a Fervent Global Love of Lives Award from the Chou Ta-Kuan Cultural and Educational Foundation.
He is to join other award winners early next month in traveling the country to participate in charity events.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is aware that Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong has weakened any possible sentiment for a “one country, two systems” arrangement for Taiwan, and has instructed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) politburo member Wang Huning (王滬寧) to develop new ways of defining cross-strait relations, Japanese news magazine Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday. A former professor of international politics at Fu Dan University, Wang is expected to develop a dialogue that could serve as the foundation for cross-strait unification, and Xi plans to use the framework to support a fourth term as president, Nikkei Asia quoted an anonymous source
LUCKY DATE: The man picked the 10th ‘Super Red Envelope’ in a lottery store in Taoyuan’s Jhongli because he broke up with his girlfriend on Jan. 10 A man who recently broke up with his girlfriend won a NT$1 million (US$32,929) prize in the “NT$20 million Super Red Envelope” lottery after picking a card based on the date of their breakup, Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The man, in his 20s, bought the 10th ticket at a lottery store in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢), because he broke up with his girlfriend on Jan. 10, the store owner told the lottery company. The “Super Red Envelope” lottery was a limited offering by the company during the Lunar New Year holiday, which ended yesterday. The cards, which cost NT$2,000 each, came with
TOURISM BOOST: The transportation system could help attract more visitors to the area, as the line is to connect multiple cultural sites, a city councilor said Residents in New Taipei City’s Ankeng District (安坑) said the local light rail system might have a positive influence, but raised questions about its practicality. The Ankeng light rail system, which is to commence operations after the Lunar New Year holiday, would cut travel time for commuters from Ankeng to downtown Taipei or New Taipei City by 15 to 20 minutes, the city government said. According to the initial plan, there would be one train every 15 minutes during peak time and additional interval trains would run between the densely populated Ankang Station (安康) and Shisizhang Station (十 四張). To encourage people to
CHAMPION TREES: The team used light detection and ranging imaging to locate the tree, and found that it measured a height of 84.1m and had a girth of 8.5m A team committed to finding the tallest trees in the nation yesterday said that an 84.1m tall Taiwania cryptomerioides tree had been named the tallest tree in Taiwan and East Asia. The Taiwan Champion Trees, a team consisting of researchers from the Council of Agriculture’s Taiwan Forestry Research Institute and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), in June last year used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imaging to find the giant tree, numbered 55214, upstream of the Daan River (大安溪). A 20-member expedition team led by Rebecca Hsu (徐嘉君), an assistant researcher at the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, set out to find the