Exhibitions have been hosted in the Legislative Yuan Gallery and the Cultural Corridor since 2000, bringing an artistic atmosphere to the conflict-prone image of the country’s legislature.
Most legislators traverse the Cultural Corridor, next to the Legislative Yuan chamber, as they walk from their offices in the Research Building and into the legislature for meetings.
Watercolor, ink and oil paintings, along with lithographic prints and calligraphy, are on permanent display along the corridor, a public space where visitors can appreciate the work.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
However, there is also the little-known Legislative Yuan Gallery, which is not open to the public.
Located in the administration building, the gallery displays sculptures, ceramics and industrial designs.
Art has been displayed in the gallery for more than 20 years, spanning three legislative speakers — Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) and You Si-kun (游錫堃) — a practice that has remained during Taiwan’s changing political landscape.
Exhibitions organized every two months with the National Taiwan Museum comprise 10 traditional pieces and 20 three-dimensional artworks, staff said.
These exclusive exhibitions have strict selection criteria, one being that the artists must have held individual or joint exhibitions, and received an awards at a competition, the staff said.
Additionally, an artist can be exhibited in the Legislative Yuan once within an eight-year period, the staff added.
National Taiwan Museum staff also mentioned that they avoid exhibiting work from well-known artists in the hope that the exhibitions serve as a creative space for artists who are making a name for themselves.
Some works are not considered to be suitable considering the backgrounds or tastes of some legislators, a person familiar with the selection process said.
Artworks featuring nudes, weapons and religious imagery are considered too sensitive for display, while abstract paintings and modern art are avoided out of concerns over fanning controversy, the person said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS