Taiwan News  
Date: 2019/05/14
By: Taiwan Today,Agencies

A performer (right) watches a film with an exhibitiongoer during the opening of the Taiwan pavilion “3x3x6” at the 58th International Art Exhibition o

The Taiwan pavilion at the 58th International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale opened May 11, showcasing works by local talent Cheang Shu-lea that explore such themes as gender, sexuality and surveillance.

Organized by Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Taiwan event is running at the 17th-century Palazzo delle Prigioni prison through Nov. 24. It is titled “3x3x6” in reference to a 9-square-meter prison cell monitored by six cameras and comprises multimedia creations by Cheang, the first female artist selected as a solo exhibitor in the nation’s pavilion.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Deputy Minister of Culture Ting Hsiao-ching said that Cheang’s works offer sharp insights into often-neglected issues impacting modern society. Through prompting reflection on timely topics like technological surveillance, the show demonstrates the vibrancy and openness of Taiwan’s art scene, she added.

Created by Cheang in collaboration with Spanish curator Paul B. Preciado, the centerpiece of the pavilion is a multiscreen video installation displaying footage of 10 characters based on people who were imprisoned or ostracized for their gender, race or sexuality. Among the real-life figures used as inspiration for the piece are French philosopher Michel Foucault and writer Marquis de Sade.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Today
Date: April 23, 2019

Liu Yi-ruu (center), executive and artistic director of NTCH, is all smiles along with CNTD Director Didier Deschamps (left) and MDLFD Director Angels Margarit (right) during a news conference April 19 in Taipei City. (Courtesy of National Theater and Concert Hall)

Taiwan’s National Theater and Concert Hall agreed April 19 to collaborate on artistic exchanges with France’s Chaillot—National Theater of Dance and Spain’s Mercat De Les Flors Dancehouse.

Under the three-year commitment, the three sides will work together in fostering a more globalized approach to performance design and delivery. This is to be achieved largely through arranging and supporting artist residency exchanges.

Liu Yi-ruu, executive and artistic director of NTCH, said the skills and talents of Taiwan’s performing artists are renowned worldwide. This explains why European partners like CNTD and MDLFD are interested in tie-ups aimed at creating mutually beneficial opportunities, she added.

Echoing Liu’s remarks, CNTD Director Didier Deschamps said the collaboration is a blue-ribbon opportunity to strengthen the bonds of creativity between artists in Taiwan and France.    [FULL  STORY]

An array of performers take to the stage late into Saturday night

Taiwan News 
Date: 2019/04/13
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

Go Go Rise 美好前程 (By Taiwan News)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The 2019 Urban Nomad Freakout Music Fest kicked off today (Saturday, April 13) with a multitude of performances across two music stages and a special circus arena.

Hidden near the base of Taipei’s Tiger Mountain, the grounds of an old Taoist temple hold host to an eclectic mix of art, rock, acrobatics and circus tricks.

Local swing band The Flat Fives opened the event, crooning to classic rhythm and blues numbers from the 40s, 50s and 60s on the main stage. First to perform in the intimate temple arena was Canadian-born multi instrumentalist and solo artist Radio Rose, who delivered a charismatic and sincere piano and vocal performance.    [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/23
By: Hung Chien-Lun and Chi Jo-yao

CNA file photo

Taipei, March 23 (CNA) A former national policy advisor to Taiwan’s president, who was also the winner of Taiwan’s prestigious National Award for Arts, died on Friday, according to his family.

Artist Lee Shi-chi (李錫奇), 81, died after he was sent to a hospital due to a brain hemorrhage on Tuesday, his family said.

Born in Taiwan’s outlying island of Kinmen in 1938, Lee’s works are known for their variety of art forms, such as prints, ink arts, abstract calligraphies, lacquer paintings, mixed media and installations, according to Liang Gallery, which has collected Lee’s pieces.

With his various artistic styles and the incorporation of Oriental traditions in Western modern philosophies, Lee earned the nickname of the “Bird of Artistic Variations,” Liang Gallery said on its website’s introduction of the artist.    [FULL STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/16
By: Sabine Cheng and Chi Jo-yao 

Taipei, March 16 (CNA) A free exhibition featuring “Girl With Balloon” and other art pieces by the anonymous England-based street artist known as Banksy opened on Saturday in Taipei and will run until March 24.

The art display, titled “Banksy: The Authentic Rebel,” is the first of its kind for Taiwan and showcases 25 signature Banksy pieces presented by international auction house Phillips at the art gallery space at Bellavita Taipei, according to the exhibition’s Facebook event page.

Phillips’ International Specialist in 20th Century & Contemporary Art Lee Mei-ling (李美玲) said on Friday that the exhibition featured a screen-print of “Girl With Balloon,” one of Banksy’s most famous works, on woven paper.

Created as a stencil street art piece in 2002, the image of a young girl with her hand stretched toward a heart-shaped red balloon has become a symbol of political protests — such as during the Syrian civil war in 2014.   [FULL  STORY]

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 04 March, 2019
By: Natalie Tso

Licensed street artists will be able to perform in Taipei and New Taipei City (Picture from Taipei’s Dept of Culture)

Taipei, New Taipei City and Keelung are working together to promote street artist performances and other cultural activities in their cities. The three cities are neighbors in northern Taiwan.

Director General of Taipei’s Department of Cultural Affairs Tsai Tsung-Hsiung said they want to their cities to offer many tasteful and diverse cultural activities.  As many people live and work between the three cities, he said the three cities will work together to promote city services and artistic programs.

The cities are working on 6 areas of cooperation. This includes enabling artists to perform in Taipei and New Taipei City once they receive their license and providing a one-stop window to help those who want to film in their cities. They will also work together to promote their children’s art festivals, artists-in-residence program exchanges and cultural publications.     [FULL  STORY]

Voice of America
Date: January 26, 2019
By: Ralph Jennings

In Taiwan, many villages are nearly forgotten. Young people have left for work in the cities and local trades such as fishing have declined. But more than 90 of these villages got a makeover in the past decade. Artists have painted giant, colorful murals on the walls of old buildings or streets. Two villages are especially popular and attract tourists. Instead of gray houses, they’re taking in rainbow-colored art, sharks and a poodle that licks people’s hands. Ralph Jennings has this report.    [FULL  STORY]