Staging and Restaging Taiwan at the Centre Pompidou: Taiwanese Art on Display 2020 to Present

Written by Gabriela-Alexandra Banica. In the third decade of the 21st century, Taiwanese artists and exhibitions have appeared at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and Metz, and this could serve as a compelling case study of Taiwan’s pursuit of international recognition through arts. Through this exploration, this article aims to address the gaps in the current scholarship related to curatorial practices concerning art from contested territories while enriching the field of France-Taiwan curatorial practices. By analysing the current subject of interest, it is hoped that art from more disputed territories can be made accessible to audiences in France, Europe, and around the globe.

Time Travel Dialogue of Two Iconic Artists: Emily Carr (Canada) & Chen Cheng-Po (Taiwan)

Written by Charlie Smith. Emily Carr (1871-1945), who grew up on the West Coast of Canada, made her mark with vivid paintings of local scenery. She depicted changes in the landscape of British Columbia, touching upon industrialization. Carr was strongly influenced by Fauvism, which was advanced by Henri Matisse, André Derain, and other artists in France. Similarly, Taiwanese artist Chen Cheng-po (1895-1947) devoted much of his career to painting the natural landscape in bold, vivid colours. His oil paintings touched upon industrialization in Taiwan, and he, too, was influenced by Fauvism. 

Innovating Tradition: The Interdisciplinary Practice of “Bodehi” Glove Puppetry Theatre in Taiwan 

Written by Chih-Ching Chester Tsai. Bodehi, Budaixi, or literal translation cloth sack theatre​ (布袋戲), is a form of traditional puppetry theatre in Taiwan. It was brought to Taiwan by early immigrants from southeast provinces of China during the Qing Dynasty. It has since developed into a unique form of theatre infused with local style and would later grow into one of the unofficial symbols of Taiwanese culture.​ 

The Intercultural Resonance between Taiwan and Q: A Night at the Kabuki (2022) 

Written by An-Ru Chu. In the second half of 2022, when Taiwan was gradually relieved from the waves of omicron subvariant-induced outbreak, the country experienced an unprecedentedly large quantity of theatrical productions and cultural events since many of them should have been presented earlier but rescheduled because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, a Japanese staged play, ​Q: A Night at the Kabuki, broke National Theatre (NT) box office record in Taipei. NT sold 12,000 tickets in merely twenty minutes for the first time in thirty-five years. When applauding the artistic achievement of the play per se, most posts also mentioned the following two aspects: first, the strong emotions evoked by seeing one of the leading actresses, ​​​​Takako Matsu, in person, which echoes how the show had extensively grabbed the media’s attention since last May.

2022 Taiwan Theatre Report: Coronavirus, Chaos, Challenges, and Changes

Written by Yi-Ping Wu. How would people of the future think of the theatre of Taiwan in 2022? A year haunted by the Coronavirus pandemic? A year in which the international situation was overshadowed by the Russian-Ukranian war? What are some lessons we learned in the past year? Undeniably, 2022 was a rapidly changing and challenging year for the Taiwanese. As to the field of theatre, 2022, in my perspective, could be recognised as the year of “change” due to the following characteristics. 

Artists and the Unruly Bodies: Performances in 1980s Taiwan 

Written by Chee-Hann Wu. 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM). Founded in 1983, the museum has witnessed the vicissitudes of Taiwanese society and its democratisation since the 1980s. The Wild Eighties: Dawn of a Transdisciplinary Taiwan, the first curated exhibition celebrating the Museum’s 40th anniversary, reconfigures the socio-political environment of the 1980s in conversation with the cultural scenes. Opening in December 2022, 25 years after the lifting of martial law, The Wild Eighties shows how the political transition inspired artists and creators to experiment with new forms of artistic expression grounded in rebellion and revolution and reimagined the meaning and relationship between art and society.  

1 2 3 4