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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as