Taiwan: From within the Mist

Taiwan: From within the Mist

Exhibition Venue: Centre A
Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art
2 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 1G6
TEL: 604.683.8326 www.centrea.org

Co-Organized by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and the Taipei Cultural Center in New York

Funded by the Council for Cultural Affairs in Taiwan

Sponsored by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society and Asian Pacific Foundation of Canada

Taiwan: From within the Mist is a large scale exhibition that includes oil painting, sculpture, installation, documents, conceptual art, video and multimedia creations by twenty-one artists from Taiwan.

The exhibition will open at Centre A on Friday, September 14. It is accompanied by a symposium and a bi-lingual colour catalogue (English and Mandarin).

Symposium: September 15, Saturday, 9 am – 5 pm
Venue: Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society
8853 Selkirk Street, Vancouver, BC, V6P 4J6
TEL: 604.267.0901 www.tccs.ca

Speakers: Juin Shieh, Jui-Jen Shih, Pin-Hua Wang, Charles Liu, Fu Chia-Wen Lien, An-Yi Pan, Amy Huei-Hua Cheng, Thalia Vrachopoulos, Sandy Hung, Chin-Jui Yeh,

Moderators: Hank Bull & Kun-Fu Liu

Taiwan: From within the Mist unveils the 21st century maelstrom that is transforming Taiwan. In the 20 years since the lifting of martial law in 1987, Taiwanese society has seen a rapidly growing economy coupled with new communication technologies. At the same time, lingering behind the façade of rapid change is a gray cloud of political ambiguity and an uncertain historical identity. The resulting sentiments are materialized in creative and critical works of art.

Contemporary art movements are proving to be among the most spectacular in the history of Taiwan. Besides explorations in creative form, content and subject matter, current art addresses current makes examines changes in society, interpretations of cultural phenomena and inner exploration of the self. Artists paint the big picture of society, politics, culture and history at the same time that they probe the micro-world of individuality, family, the body, desire and everyday life as viewed from a spiritual perspective.

In his catalogue essay, the exhibition curator, Charles Liu, observes the process by which the Internet has changed the world into a borderless society, and a new collective thought process that brings with it a new kind of territory. From the Internet locale of “non-place” evolves a “non-community” society, a “non-nation” country and even a “non-culture” civilization. The exhibit focuses On three key themes: politics and history, the society and ecology, and the body and thought. The results represent a lively debate on Taiwan’s place within globalization.

This large scale endeavor is funded by the Council for Cultural Affairs in Taiwan and co-organized by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the Taipei Cultural Center in New York, and is curated by Mr. Charles Liu, an artist living in the United States. The exhibition is traveling to four cities in the United States and Canada before returning to Taiwan for a homecoming show.

The twenty one artists are: Chang Li-Shan, Chang Shin-Yu, Chen Agi, Chen Ching-Yao, Chen Yung-Hsien, G-8 Art Public Relations Consulting Company, He Meng-Chuan, Hsu Tang-Wei, Kuo Hui-Chan, Daniel Lee, Li Sih-Huei, Lin Hsin-Yueh, Lu Hao-Yuan, Peng Hung-Chih, Shi Jin-Hua, Shy Gong, Tu Wei-Cheng, Wang Ming-Ren, Wang Wu, Yao Jui-Chung, Yuan Goang-Ming.

Centre A gratefully acknowledges the generous support of its patrons, sponsors, members, partners, private foundations, and government funding agencies, including the Canada Council for the Arts, the British Columbia Arts Council, and the City of Vancouver through the Office of Cultural Affairs.

For more information

604-683-8326

[email protected] http://centrea.org/

Exhibition Touring Schedule

Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, May 18 – August 19, 2007
Centre A, Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, September 14 – October 19, 2007
University of Indianapolis, Christel Dehaan Fine Arts Center, November 12 – December 7, 2007
Illges Gallery, Columbus State University in the State of Georgia, January 17 – February 24, 2008
National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan, May 31 – August 3, 2008.