The Taiwan Spotlight project shines a light on contemporary Taiwanese arts
Birkbeck's Peltz Gallery is to host an exhibition of modern Taiwanese art, starting in October 2014
The work of Taiwanese contemporary visual artists will be under the spotlight, thanks to a series of exhibitions being organised by staff and students at Birkbeck, University of London.
The Taiwan Spotlight project, funded by the Taiwan Ministry of Culture and the generosity of Dr Samuel Yin, and led by Dr Lorraine Lim, a lecturer in Arts Management at Birkbeck, will provide a snapshot of the diversity of the art being created in Taiwan today and highlight the different cultural identities present in the country. The artists will discuss their creative practices and the experiences of being artists in Taiwan during a programme of events.
Works by Taiwanese visual artist Kao Chung-Li will be displayed in October 2014; and Singing Chen and Huang Ming-Chuan’s work will be displayed in March 2015, all in Birkbeck’s Peltz Gallery. A sound performance will take place at Cafe OTO in April 2015, featuring the work of Lin Chi-Wei and DINO.
Dr Lim said: “The aim of our project is to change current perceptions of Taiwanese culture and cultivate a greater interest in the art being created in Taiwan. Many people are unaware of the diversity of cultural identities in Taiwan and this project provides an opportunity for people to find out more about how these identities have influenced arts and culture in Taiwan today.”
Two Birkbeck PhD students, Ms Chen Yuling and Mr Wei Yu, will be working on the project, which also aims to help develop their skills and knowledge and support them to build networks of Taiwanese students at Birkbeck so that they will be able to contribute to the arts and cultural sector in Taiwan in the future.
Wei Yu said: “The first decade after the lifting of martial law (1949-1987) heralded the rise of underground culture in Taiwan. Underground culture prospered in alternative spaces such as left-leaning societies within university campuses and outdoor festivals. This embodied diverse forms of practices, such as noise performances, junk installations, ‘little theatre,’ short films, indie rock, ’zines, folk art, and amateurism. It formed an alternative cultural realm which was different, if not opposite, to the mainstream one. The exhibition in March 2015 will be mainly based on archival display, presenting historical documents from two art venues, Sickly Sweet and Apartment No. 2, the twice-organised Taipei Broken Life Festival (1994-95), the noise bands, Z.S.L.O. and LTK Commune, and a number of related artworks. Most of the exhibiting items will be shown in the UK for the first time. They will provide spectators with a new understanding of Taiwan’s culture and arts in the post-martial period.”