The Glenfiddich Distillery, famed for its single malt scotch, is also home to one of the more innovative international artist residency programs, which began in 2002. It all started when the company wanted to establish a corporate art collection at the distillery.
The artist residency, which is located in the several empty houses on the distillery premises, provides funding, accommodation and studio space for eight artists every summer and stipulates that residents have to create an artwork for the collection. Artists are asked to draw inspiration from Glenfiddich's brew and the local environment.
Taiwanese artist Yao Jui-chung (姚瑞中) spent his three-month residency creating mainly ink drawings combined with gold leaf on handmade paper. The framed results are on display at the IT Park until Dec. 8
PHOTOS:COURTESY OF YAO JUI-CHUNG
The exhibition opening last week at the IT Park was attended by the residency's director, clad in a kilt and sporting dreadlocks.
The residency - located in Dufftown, Scotland, with a population of 2,000 - was a contrast to the hectic pace of Taipei life, which Yao is used to. The artist, who is well-known in the capital's art circle, helps run the nearby VT Art Salon, has published several books, makes videos, photos and drawings and teaches at a university. The Scottish town's slow pace and the country's pre-Christian roots sparked Yao's frenetic burst of creativity.
The drawings include depictions of Yao's hobbies - bathing in hot springs, mountain climbing, appreciating nature, playing chess - while referring to classical Chinese painting from the late Ming Dynasty.
PHOTOS:COURTESY OF YAO JUI-CHUNG
Yao's previous work took a critical view of Taiwan's turbulent political and social situation. In his new works, he has continued painting his dog-faced characters, which represent cynics and devils. Yet, these drawings seem to be the weakest of the series, perhaps because they illustrate the contentious dichotomy of local politics and lose any poetic feeling.
Yao's strongest drawings are those that reference Scottish mythology, ancient Pictish stone circles, the dramatic Scottish highlands and Chinese landscape painting.
Wonderful: The Holy Ridge under the Milk-way, a figuratively-shaped mountain that is formed by intensely worked black ink scribbles, shows the artist's erratic, quick-handed movements. Gold leaf rivulets stream forth from mysterious inner mountain sources. This huge mountain range dwarfs a red-cloaked figure who appears to be at one with nature, enjoying the heavenliness of the scene.
PHOTOS:COURTESY OF YAO JUI-CHUNG
Graphically, Wonderful: Crossing the Taiwan Strait by a Leaf is a perfect work of art. White crested waves grasping the air like greedy hands are finely delineated in black lines and carry a delicate Buddha-like figure on a small gold leaf.
The mystical Wonderful: Looking the Waterfall in Tain-Da-Na is a good example of Yao's merging of Scottish and Chinese landscapes. It feels like a real place, but also a dreamlike, imaginary landscape.
Yao, who abandoned the classical for the avant-garde, was pleasantly surprised to rediscover the richness of traditional art. It was his studied knowledge of the past that helped him create something new. And that is probably one of the best reasons to have an artist residency program. I'll drink to that.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at