Indigenous artist Ciwas Tahos is featured at Hawaii’s top art exhibition, the Hawai’i Triennial 2025 (HT25), which opened over the weekend, becoming the first Taiwanese person to have her work displayed at the event, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said.
“Ciwas’ work is an exploration of cultural and gender identity, using her body as a medium to trace linguistic and cultural experiences of displacement to seek out new queer forms of understanding,” according to the page about Ciwas on the HT25 Web site.
Ciwas is a Taiwan-born and based artist, and a member of the Atayal community.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles
Her works are characterized by a “body-centered” approach, according to her Web site.
She is known for her research exploring a legendary place called Temahohoi, where queer, gender non-conforming indigenous people lived and communicated with bees, which protected them from intruders.
Combining new technology, handmade ceramics and traditional bee-chasing skills, Ciwas celebrates her indigenous culture and identity in her work.
In a recent press release, the MOC describes Ciwas’ work as a reflection on gender and ecological issues that “affirms one’s sensibilities” as a member of gender minorities in the quest for a sense of belonging.
Her work, called Pswagi Temahahoi, translates to finding the way to Temahohoi — a women’s village in Atayal legends, according to the MOC, which assisted the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles in arranging Ciwas’ participation in the exhibition.
Jerry Chang (張詩瑞), director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu, said at the event’s opening that he hoped the participation of Taiwanese artists would foster deeper cultural exchange between Taiwan, Hawaii and the Pacific.
At the event, Ciwas led the opening performance, which featured Paiwan artist Sauljaljuy, Puyuma artist Sinkuy Katadrepan and Hawaii-based artists.
In his remarks at the opening ceremony, Chien Te-yuan (簡德源), director of the Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles, highlighted the shared origins and migration history between the people of Taiwan and Hawaii.
By exploring this period of history through contemporary art, a closer cultural and societal connection could be established between both sides, he added.
The triennial, Hawaii’s largest, thematic exhibition of local and Pacific contemporary art, runs until May 4.
For more information, visit the Hawaii Triennial Web site at https://hawaiicontemporary.org/ht25.
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