Balgo Hills, in Western Australia, is a melting pot of Aboriginal cultures and is one of the most important centers for Aboriginal art in the country. A sampling of the work of 26 Aboriginal artists from the region titled Balgo Contemporary Australian Art From the Balgo Hills is currently on view at Taipei Fine Arts Museum. The Aboriginal artists from Balgo Hills create art that resembles experimental techniques of Western abstractionism and expressionism, yet employ a unique visual language imbued with strong totemic imagery.
■ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM — 台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號). Open daily from 9:30am to 5:30pm, closes at 8:30pm on Saturdays.
Tel: (02) 2595-7656
■ Until Feb. 21
The Classics (經典大展) presents a who’s who selection of works by Taiwanese artists, both living and deceased. The paintings range from Modern works by Chu Teh-chun
(朱德群) and Yang San-lang
(楊三郎) to contemporary canvases by Lee Ming-tse (李明則) and Lien Chien-hsing (連建興). Sculptures by Ju Ming (朱銘) are also on display.
■ Impressions Art Gallery
(印象畫廊), 40, Renai Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市仁愛路四段40號). Open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10:30am to 7pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 7pm. Tel: (02) 2705-9966
■ Until Feb. 5
Celestial Realm (天界) is a solo exhibit by Taiwanese artist Chiu Hsien-te (邱顯德). Chiu’s finely detailed watercolor landscape paintings are flourished with rugged expressionist brushstrokes.
■ 99 Degrees Art Center
(99 藝術中心) 5F, 259, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段259號5F). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11am to 6pm.
Tel: (02) 2700-3099
■ Until Feb. 28
The fine line separating fantasy and reality is the central theme of Low Floating Palace — Remix Version (浮宮 - 瑞米克斯版), a solo exhibit by Taiwanese multimedia artist Lin Ching-fong (林慶芳). Lin employs neon lighting, paint and sculpture to create works that examine Taiwan’s iconic betel nut girls, and in which he ponders the dichotomy between their attractive exteriors and the often torturous emotional lives they lead.
■ Gallery J. Chen, 3F, 40, Ln 161, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City
(台北市敦化南路一段161巷40號3F). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from noon to 9pm. Tel: (02) 2781-0959
■ Until Feb. 21
From Gatchaman to Deva Loka — The Legend Continues is a solo exhibition by Japanese contemporary artist Yoshitaka Amano. The show features Amano’s latest fine art paintings rendered in a manga and anime style.
■ Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei (MOCA, Taipei), 39 Changan W Rd, Taipei City (台北市長安西路39號). Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10am to 6pm.
Tel: (02) 2552-3720
■ Until March 7
The Yingge Ceramics Museum’s Ceramics Park Gallery has been taken over by an ambush of tigers — ceramic tigers that is. The museum chose 120 sculptures as part of its contest for the Year of the Tiger. A brief overview of the tiger’s place in Chinese history and folk religion accompanies the exhibit, revealing that although extinct in many parts of the world, the large feline retains considerable mythological resonance for Taiwanese.
■ Yingge Ceramics Museum
(鶯歌陶瓷博物館), 200 Wenhua Rd, Yinge Township, Taipei County (台北縣鶯歌鎮文化路200號). Open daily from 9:30am to 5pm, closes at 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Tel: (02) 8677-2727
■ Until Feb. 28
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and the country’s other political groups dare not offend religious groups, says Chen Lih-ming (陳立民), founder of the Taiwan Anti-Religion Alliance (台灣反宗教者聯盟). “It’s the same in other democracies, of course, but because political struggles in Taiwan are extraordinarily fierce, you’ll see candidates visiting several temples each day ahead of elections. That adds impetus to religion here,” says the retired college lecturer. In Japan’s most recent election, the Liberal Democratic Party lost many votes because of its ties to the Unification Church (“the Moonies”). Chen contrasts the progress made by anti-religion movements in
Taiwan doesn’t have a lot of railways, but its network has plenty of history. The government-owned entity that last year became the Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) has been operating trains since 1891. During the 1895-1945 period of Japanese rule, the colonial government made huge investments in rail infrastructure. The northern port city of Keelung was connected to Kaohsiung in the south. New lines appeared in Pingtung, Yilan and the Hualien-Taitung region. Railway enthusiasts exploring Taiwan will find plenty to amuse themselves. Taipei will soon gain its second rail-themed museum. Elsewhere there’s a number of endearing branch lines and rolling-stock collections, some
Last week the State Department made several small changes to its Web information on Taiwan. First, it removed a statement saying that the US “does not support Taiwan independence.” The current statement now reads: “We oppose any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side. We expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means, free from coercion, in a manner acceptable to the people on both sides of the Strait.” In 2022 the administration of Joe Biden also removed that verbiage, but after a month of pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), reinstated it. The American
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus convener Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) and some in the deep blue camp seem determined to ensure many of the recall campaigns against their lawmakers succeed. Widely known as the “King of Hualien,” Fu also appears to have become the king of the KMT. In theory, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) outranks him, but Han is supposed to be even-handed in negotiations between party caucuses — the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) says he is not — and Fu has been outright ignoring Han. Party Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) isn’t taking the lead on anything while Fu
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