Art and Entertainment

Taiwan’s Karena Lam wins Golden Horse best lead actress

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/22
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Nov. 21 (CNA) Taiwanese actress Karena Lam (林嘉欣) won the Golden 201511220003t0001Horse Award for best lead actress on Saturday with her role as a woman who loses her fiancé in “Zinnia Flower,”(百日告別) which deals with heartaches and losses.

It is the second time that Lam was nominated for a best lead actress award and her first win. Saturday’s victory made her the first person ever to have captured all of the following three Golden Horse awards: best lead actress, best supporting actress and best new performer.

Judges touted Lam’s acting as “sophisticated,” saying she has expressed the pain of her character in a reserved and contained way.     [FULL  STORY]

Hou Hsiao-hsien grabs third Golden Horse best director

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-11-21
By: Central News Agency

Taipei, Nov. 21 (CNA) Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien captured his third

Hou Hsiao-hsien grabs third Golden Horse best director. Central News Agency (2015-11-22 00:05:56)

Hou Hsiao-hsien grabs third Golden Horse best director. Central News Agency (2015-11-22 00:05:56)

Golden Horse Award for best director on Saturday with the film “The Assassin,” a martial arts arthouse epic set in the Tang Dynasty.

“The Assassin” went into the event with a leading 11 nominations, including best feature film. It is the eighth time that Hou has been nominated for the best director award and his third win.

He previously won the award in 1989 with “A City of Sadness” and in 1995 with “Good Men, Good Women.” He was also named Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year at the Golden Horse Awards this year.

Judges praised Hou’s craftship in “The Assassin,” saying his “unique techniques have revitalized the genre of martial arts films.” “Thank you judges of the Golden Horse Awards. I haven’t won the best director award in a long time. I would like to thank my crew,” said the 68-year-old director, who received the award from Oscar-winning director Ang Lee  and Taiwanese actress Shu Qi.     [FULL  STORY]

Golden Horse Awards 2015

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/21
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Nov. 21 (CNA) The 52nd Golden Horse Awards ceremony is scheduled to 201511210003t0001take place at the National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei later Saturday.

A total of 39 films will compete for awards in 22 categories.

The ceremony will be hosted by model and actress Lin Chi-ling and TV host Mickey Huang, and broadcast by Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV).

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan will be among the award presenters.

A red carpet event will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the award ceremony at 7 p.m.     [FULL  STORY]

Exhibit bolsters New Taipei’s digital arts scene

Taiwan Today
Date: November 18, 2015

The Digital Attraction Interactional Contemporary Art Exhibition is underway at FZ

Chen I-chun and Lo He-lin’s “The Light in the Storm” featuring weaving pillars of light is on display at the Digital Attraction Interactional Contemporary Art Exhibition Nov. 15 to Jan. 17 in New Taipei City. (Courtesy of NTCG)

Chen I-chun and Lo He-lin’s “The Light in the Storm” featuring weaving pillars of light is on display at the Digital Attraction Interactional Contemporary Art Exhibition Nov. 15 to Jan. 17 in New Taipei City. (Courtesy of NTCG)

Fifteen Animation and Story Gallery in New Taipei City, showcasing interactive artworks and animated films created using the latest production techniques.

Organized by New Taipei City Government’s Cultural Affairs Department, the two-month event features 12 art installations and nearly 60 animated films by creative talents from Taiwan and 16 other countries and territories.

Lin Pey-chwen, one of the event’s curators and a professor of multimedia and animation arts at New Taipei City-based National Taiwan University of Arts, said through the use of the advanced lighting effects, digital installation art offers novel experiences while promoting audience interaction.

“The name of the exhibition discloses its appeal and we think the artists’ fascinating creativity is certain to ‘attract’ bumper crowds to the event.”     [FULL  STORY]

Chiayi railway warehouse stages art festival

Taiwan Today
Date: November 17, 2015

The 2015 Black Golden Section Art Festival kicked off Nov. 14 at the Art Site of Chiayi Railway

Hou Chun-ming’s six prints depicting the outward appearance of his inner self are on display at the Inside Out exhibition of the 2015 Black Golden Section Art Festival Nov.14 to Jan. 5 in Chiayi City. (Courtesy of CCG)

Hou Chun-ming’s six prints depicting the outward appearance of his inner self are on display at the Inside Out exhibition of the 2015 Black Golden Section Art Festival Nov.14 to Jan. 5 in Chiayi City. (Courtesy of CCG)

Warehouse in southern Taiwan, showcasing artists’ life experiences and reflections on their relationships with the world.

Organized by the Chiayi City Government’s Cultural Affairs Bureau, the eclectic event features an exhibition comprising installations, ink paintings, photographs, prints, sketches and video recordings by five talents from the Chiayi area and nine artists from other parts of Taiwan and abroad.

“Themed Inside Out this year, the 14th edition of the display centers on the importance of self-exploration,” said Chen Yi-fan, who curated the event and doubles as an art professor at National Changhua University of Education. “Representing reflections of the artists’ inner selves, the pieces may also spur visitors to embark on their own journeys of self-exploration.”

One exhibition highlight is a six-print series, with each work composed of 20 smaller pieces, by local artist Hou Chun-ming. The artist created images that reimagine his outward appearance as a reflection of his inner self in the years 1985, 1990, 1993, 1999, 2002 and 2005.     [FULL  STORY]

Taipei event remembers prominent artist Chen Chi-kwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/11/12
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Nov. 12 (CNA) An event was held in Taipei on Wednesday to showcase copies of 201511120038t0001paintings by late prominent artist Chen Chi-kwan (陳其寬) and launch cultural and creative products inspired by his artworks.

Over a dozen limited-edition lithographs were on display at the one-day event to commemorate Chen, a painter-architect known for his innovative perspective and style of painting that revolutionized traditional Chinese calligraphy and brush paintings.

Chen was one of the first contemporary Chinese painters to incorporate Western painting techniques such as dripping, rubbing and collage into traditional Chinese paintings, Fan Pan (潘襎), director and associate professor at Fo Guang University’s Department of Cultural Assets and Reinvention, told CNA.

His training as an architect also gave his work a unique perspective that crosses time and space, Pan said, calling Chen an “oddity” in the art world.     [FULL  STORY]

Bamboo installations spotlight historic bridges

Taiwan Today
Date: November 11, 2015

A bamboo installation exhibition is underway at bridges in Taitung County, offering a fresh

“Scenes in Travel” by Elen Luluwan of the indigenous Rukai group is on display at the old Donghe Bridge as part of a bamboo installation exhibition in Taitung County. (Courtesy of ECNSAA)

“Scenes in Travel” by Elen Luluwan of the indigenous Rukai group is on display at the old Donghe Bridge as part of a bamboo installation exhibition in Taitung County. (Courtesy of ECNSAA)

take on the historic structures and promoting the stunning natural landscapes in the northeastern part of the region.

Organized by the East Coast National Scenic Area Administration of the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the seven-month event features bamboo-weaving pieces by artists Kaling and Elen Luluwan from the Amis and Rukai indigenous ethnic groups, respectively.

ECNSAA Director Trust Lin said Nov. 9 that the event will build on the momentum of the first Taiwan Land Art Festival, which wrapped up Oct. 11 and proved popular with visitors and locals alike.

“We hope to sustain people’s interest in the combination of spectacular natural scenes and captivating works of art, as well as further promote these old bridges, which are listed as historic monuments by the Bureau of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture.”     [FULL  STORY]

International and cross-cultural on the dance menu this weekend

Between the multinational and multi-hued ‘Hui’ at the National Theater, ‘So Blue’ at the Experimental Theater and a festival of contact and dance improvisation at the Wellspring Theater, Taipei’s dance audiences are spoilt for choice

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 12, 2015
By: Diane Baker  /  Staff reporter

Taipei’s fall overload of dance programs is going strong this weekend, with three terrific

Hui, a joint production by Dance Forum Taipei and Chinese composer Tan Dun, opens tomorrow at the National Theater in Taipei as part of the NTCH’s Dancing in Autumn series. Photo courtesy of Chen You-wei

Hui, a joint production by Dance Forum Taipei and Chinese composer Tan Dun, opens tomorrow at the National Theater in Taipei as part of the NTCH’s Dancing in Autumn series. Photo courtesy of Chen You-wei

cross-cultural programs to choose from. The overload is having an impact at the box office, though, with many companies reporting slower ticket sales than normal because of the increased competition, something that is set to continue almost through the end of the year.

The National Theater Concert Hall’s (NTCH) Dancing in Autumn series has programs running in both the main theater, Hui (迴), and the Experimental Theater, So Blue, while the annual iDance Taipei festival opened its tent last night across town at the Wellspring Theater in the Gongguan (公館) area.     [FULL  STORY]

MOC reveals top craft award winner

Taiwan Today
Date: November 10, 2015
MOC reveals top craft award winner

Chang Chi-tao was named the recipient of the National Crafts Achievement Award, the top

Chang Chi-tao, the 2015 National Crafts Achievement Award winner, specializes in Jun wares that exhibit sky-blue hues with splashes of red and purple. (Courtesy of MOC)

Chang Chi-tao, the 2015 National Crafts Achievement Award winner, specializes in Jun wares that exhibit sky-blue hues with splashes of red and purple. (Courtesy of MOC)

honor in Taiwan’s crafts sector, by the Ministry of Culture Nov. 9.

“Chang is being recognized for his commitment to preserving and researching traditional glazes, as well as developing innovative glazing techniques,” an MOC official said. “He also works tirelessly to pass the artistic torch to the younger generation.”

The 83-year-old soldier-turned-ceramist was born in Hunan province, mainland China. He began his apprenticeship at the age of 45 under the late Lin Pao-chia, known as the father of Taiwan ceramics, after working at two U.S. appliance companies and as the manager of a ceramics factory until its closure.

According to the MOC, Chang learned the true essence of ceramics from Lin and is revered for his unique and fascinating Drunken Scarlet—a camouflage glaze giving ceramic works a cracked look—as well as Jun wares, a type of Chinese celadon first created during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).     [FULL  STORY]

Exhibit showcases Taiwan’s world-renowned craft artists

Taiwan Today
Date: November 9, 2015

An eclectic exhibition is underway at the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development

“Straw Clay Branches” by Li Tsung-ju is one of the highlights at the “Pearls on the Crown—Exhibition of Taiwan Talents in International Craft Competitions” running through May 1, 2016 in Nantou County. (Courtesy of MOC)

“Straw Clay Branches” by Li Tsung-ju is one of the highlights at the “Pearls on the Crown—Exhibition of Taiwan Talents in International Craft Competitions” running through May 1, 2016 in Nantou County. (Courtesy of MOC)

Institute in Nantou County, showcasing diverse craftworks by young Taiwanese artists who have shined in global competitions.

Backed by the Ministry of Culture, “Pearls on the Crown— Exhibition of Taiwan Talents in International Craft Competitions” features 200-plus pieces by 56 talents born after 1970. Art forms on display include fiber art, glass, jewelry, lacquer, metalcraft and pottery, as well as stone and wood carvings.

NTCRDI Director Hsu Keng-hsiu said at the Nov. 5 opening ceremony that the artists helped shape Taiwan’s craft art scene through their international achievements. “They set perfect examples for the talents of tomorrow to build upon, further strengthening the development of local artistic circles.”

Echoing Hsu’s remarks, an MOC official said the artworks illustrate these young stars’ innovative ideas. “Combining contemporary art, modern techniques and the use of composite materials, the talents herald a new chapter for creative crafts in Taiwan.”     [FULL  STORY]