Contemporary Art Exchange between Taiwan and Southeast Asia
During the period of Japanese rule, Taiwan was turned into a hub of Southeast Asian and South Pacific studies during the imperialist expansion. In the 1950s, artists such as KUO Hsueh-Hu, YAN San-Lang and MA Pai-Shui received public funding to conduct trips to Southeast Asia. During the 1960s, LEE Shi-Chi and YANG Ying-Feng visited the Philippines, and LIU Chi-Wei also traveled to Indochina Peninsula as an engineer taking part in the Vietnam War. The experience also led to his creation of a major series, entitled An Epic of Indochina. Before the exhibition, “River: New Asian Art—A Dialogue in Taipei,” which was transformed from the Taipei County Art Exhibition in 1997, interaction between Taiwan and Southeast Asia mainly took place within the networks between artists.
“River: New Asian Art—A Dialogue in Taipei” was co-organized by the Taipei County Cultural Center and Dimension Endowment Of Art. The exhibition was presented respectively at Dimension Endowment Of Art, Taipei County Cultural Center, IT Park and Bamboo Curtain Studio. Continuing viewing Tamsui River as the central axis of development for the Taipei County Fine Arts Exhibition, the curator SHIH Jui-Jen used river as a common denominator between civilizations to symbolize the interaction and exchange between Asian cultures, inviting artists and local art communities from Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines to participate in the exhibition. During the same period, the introduction of Southeast Asian migrant workers and transnational marriage, and changes in Taiwan’s population structure gave rise to new social conflicts and dialogues, bringing Taiwanese artists’ attention to the community of new immigrants, for instance, CHANG Chien-Chi’s Double Happiness (2004-), HOU Shur-Tzy’s Song of Asian Foreign Brides in Taiwan (2005-) and JAO Chia-En’s REM Sleep (2011).
Since 2010, exchange and interaction between groups and organizations gradually increased. Exhibition-wise, there were Sakshi Art Salon’s “Sakshi Annual Exhibition” (2010), “Faith by CHEN Hui-Chiao and Titarubi” (2011) and “Beyond Superflat” (2011); Soka Art Center’s “Emblem of Time—Asian Contemporary Art Exhibition” (2011); and “SKY-2011 Asia Plate & Print Exhibition” (2011) by Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, which all featured Southeast Asian artworks in Taiwan. In 2012, there were more close exchange between Taiwanese and Southeast Asian contemporary art circles. A Taiwan-Thailand exchange program co-organized by Open Contemporary Art Center (OCAC) and Thai art collective JIANDYIN included artist residency and exhibition. The exhibition, “ThaiTai: A Measure of Understanding,” took place at Thailand’s Bangkok Art and Culture Center and Taipei’s USR21. On the other hand, the curatorial team Outsiders Factory and the Vietnamese curator NGUYEN Nhu Huy carried out “South Country, South of Country – Vietnamese & Taiwanese Artists Exchange Project” respectively at Tainan’s Howl Space and Vietnam’s alternative space Zero Station, which invited artists from both Taiwan and Vietnam to engage in creative collaboration.
The change in cultural policies also provide the impetus for the exchange between Taiwanese and Southeast Asian art, for example the “Emerald Initiative” launched by the Ministry of Culture in 2013 and the “New Southbound Policy” launched in 2016. In terms of content, long-term and in-depth studies of contemporary art interaction and exchange began appearing. Whereas the space of exchange started to expand from international metropolises to satellite cities, more cultural workers outside the art community have also been brought into the network of exchange.
Reference
“River: New Asian Art—A Dialogue in Taipei” was co-organized by the Taipei County Cultural Center and Dimension Endowment Of Art. The exhibition was presented respectively at Dimension Endowment Of Art, Taipei County Cultural Center, IT Park and Bamboo Curtain Studio. Continuing viewing Tamsui River as the central axis of development for the Taipei County Fine Arts Exhibition, the curator SHIH Jui-Jen used river as a common denominator between civilizations to symbolize the interaction and exchange between Asian cultures, inviting artists and local art communities from Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines to participate in the exhibition. During the same period, the introduction of Southeast Asian migrant workers and transnational marriage, and changes in Taiwan’s population structure gave rise to new social conflicts and dialogues, bringing Taiwanese artists’ attention to the community of new immigrants, for instance, CHANG Chien-Chi’s Double Happiness (2004-), HOU Shur-Tzy’s Song of Asian Foreign Brides in Taiwan (2005-) and JAO Chia-En’s REM Sleep (2011).
Since 2010, exchange and interaction between groups and organizations gradually increased. Exhibition-wise, there were Sakshi Art Salon’s “Sakshi Annual Exhibition” (2010), “Faith by CHEN Hui-Chiao and Titarubi” (2011) and “Beyond Superflat” (2011); Soka Art Center’s “Emblem of Time—Asian Contemporary Art Exhibition” (2011); and “SKY-2011 Asia Plate & Print Exhibition” (2011) by Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, which all featured Southeast Asian artworks in Taiwan. In 2012, there were more close exchange between Taiwanese and Southeast Asian contemporary art circles. A Taiwan-Thailand exchange program co-organized by Open Contemporary Art Center (OCAC) and Thai art collective JIANDYIN included artist residency and exhibition. The exhibition, “ThaiTai: A Measure of Understanding,” took place at Thailand’s Bangkok Art and Culture Center and Taipei’s USR21. On the other hand, the curatorial team Outsiders Factory and the Vietnamese curator NGUYEN Nhu Huy carried out “South Country, South of Country – Vietnamese & Taiwanese Artists Exchange Project” respectively at Tainan’s Howl Space and Vietnam’s alternative space Zero Station, which invited artists from both Taiwan and Vietnam to engage in creative collaboration.
The change in cultural policies also provide the impetus for the exchange between Taiwanese and Southeast Asian art, for example the “Emerald Initiative” launched by the Ministry of Culture in 2013 and the “New Southbound Policy” launched in 2016. In terms of content, long-term and in-depth studies of contemporary art interaction and exchange began appearing. Whereas the space of exchange started to expand from international metropolises to satellite cities, more cultural workers outside the art community have also been brought into the network of exchange.
Reference
- Sharleen YU (chief editor). The Secret South: from Cold War Perspective to Global South in Museum Collection. Taipei Fine Arts Museum, 2020.
- TAKAMORI Nobuo and CHENG Tai-Cheng (feature editors). “Return to the South: The New Chapter of Contemporary Art Interaction Between Taiwan and Southeast Asia.” Feature topic, ACT | Art Critique of Taiwan, iss. 55, July 2013, pp. 6-73.
- Bamboo Curtain Studio. “River: New Asian Art—A Dialogue in Taipei in 1999.”
- Open Contemporary Art Center. “ThaiTai: A Measure of Understanding.”
- Outsiders Factory. “South Country, South of Country – Vietnamese & Taiwanese Artists Exchange Project.”
臺灣與東南亞當代藝術交流
(Contemporary Art Exchange between Taiwan and Southeast Asia)
日治時期由於帝國主義的擴張,臺灣成為日本南進政策裡重要的東南亞及南太平洋學科研究地。1950年代藝術家開始以公費出國的方式考察東南亞,如郭雪湖、楊三郎、馬白水等。1960年代李錫奇、楊英風曾赴菲律賓交流,劉其偉也曾以參與越戰的工程師身份赴中南半島,並發展出重要系列作《中南半島一頁史詩》。直到1997年由「台北縣美展」轉制的展覽「河流—新亞洲藝術‧台北對話」前,多屬藝術家與藝術家間的交流網絡。
「河流—新亞洲藝術‧台北對話」由臺北縣立文化中心、帝門藝術教育基金會共同承辦,分別在帝門藝術教育基金會、臺北縣立文化中心、伊通公園與竹圍工作室展出。策展人石瑞仁延續了台北縣美展以淡水河為中心的發展方向,以河流在文明間的共通性作為亞洲文化交流的比喻,邀請來自香港、日本、越南、泰國、菲律賓的藝術家與在地藝術社群共同進行展演。同時期,由於東南亞移工的引入與跨國婚姻的引介,臺灣人口結構的轉變連帶著新的社會矛盾與對話,也使在地藝術家開始關注新移民族群,如張乾琦的《囍》(2004-)、侯淑姿的《亞洲新娘之歌》(2005-),饒加恩的《REM Sleep》(2011)等。
2010開始,以團體及機構為主的交流逐漸增加,展覽有夏可喜當代藝術的「夏可喜當代藝博」(2010)、「陳慧嶠&提塔‧露比雙人展」(2011)、「超扁平之外」(2011),索卡藝術中心的「時代印記—亞洲當代藝術群展」(2011),關渡美術館的「SKY-2011亞洲版/圖展」(2011)等,皆曾邀請東南亞當代藝術作品來臺展出。2012年臺灣與東南亞當代藝術的交流愈發緊密,由「打開當代藝術工作站」與泰國藝術團體「JIANDYIN」共同規劃的台泰交流計畫包含了駐地創作與展覽,而展覽「理解的尺度-台泰當代藝術交流展」分別於泰國的曼谷藝術文化中心與臺北的中山創意基地展出。策展團隊「奧賽德工廠」與越南策展人阮如輝合作,於臺南「齁空間」及越南獨立空間「Zero Station」以交換駐村進行「南國.國南—台越藝術家交流計畫」邀請兩地藝術家進行合作創作。
文化政策的轉變也為臺灣與東南亞藝術交流提供了助力,如文化部在2013年開始的「翡翠計畫」,與2016年開始的「新南向政策」等,當代藝術的交流內容開始出現長時間的深入研究,交流空間也從國際化的大都市擴散到外圍城市,並試圖在藝術社群外連結更多文化工作者。
參考文獻
「河流—新亞洲藝術‧台北對話」由臺北縣立文化中心、帝門藝術教育基金會共同承辦,分別在帝門藝術教育基金會、臺北縣立文化中心、伊通公園與竹圍工作室展出。策展人石瑞仁延續了台北縣美展以淡水河為中心的發展方向,以河流在文明間的共通性作為亞洲文化交流的比喻,邀請來自香港、日本、越南、泰國、菲律賓的藝術家與在地藝術社群共同進行展演。同時期,由於東南亞移工的引入與跨國婚姻的引介,臺灣人口結構的轉變連帶著新的社會矛盾與對話,也使在地藝術家開始關注新移民族群,如張乾琦的《囍》(2004-)、侯淑姿的《亞洲新娘之歌》(2005-),饒加恩的《REM Sleep》(2011)等。
2010開始,以團體及機構為主的交流逐漸增加,展覽有夏可喜當代藝術的「夏可喜當代藝博」(2010)、「陳慧嶠&提塔‧露比雙人展」(2011)、「超扁平之外」(2011),索卡藝術中心的「時代印記—亞洲當代藝術群展」(2011),關渡美術館的「SKY-2011亞洲版/圖展」(2011)等,皆曾邀請東南亞當代藝術作品來臺展出。2012年臺灣與東南亞當代藝術的交流愈發緊密,由「打開當代藝術工作站」與泰國藝術團體「JIANDYIN」共同規劃的台泰交流計畫包含了駐地創作與展覽,而展覽「理解的尺度-台泰當代藝術交流展」分別於泰國的曼谷藝術文化中心與臺北的中山創意基地展出。策展團隊「奧賽德工廠」與越南策展人阮如輝合作,於臺南「齁空間」及越南獨立空間「Zero Station」以交換駐村進行「南國.國南—台越藝術家交流計畫」邀請兩地藝術家進行合作創作。
文化政策的轉變也為臺灣與東南亞藝術交流提供了助力,如文化部在2013年開始的「翡翠計畫」,與2016年開始的「新南向政策」等,當代藝術的交流內容開始出現長時間的深入研究,交流空間也從國際化的大都市擴散到外圍城市,並試圖在藝術社群外連結更多文化工作者。
參考文獻
- 余思穎主編,《秘密南方-典藏作品中的冷戰視角及全球視野》,臺北市立美術館,2020。
- 高森信男、鄭汰誠企劃,〈重回南方/台灣-東南亞當代藝術交流新章〉專題,藝術觀點,55期,頁6-73,2013.7。
- 竹圍工作室,〈1997「河流—新亞洲藝術‧台北對話」〉
- 打開當代藝術工作站,〈理解的尺度-台泰當代藝術交流展〉
- 奧賽德工廠,〈南國‧國南—台越藝術家交流計畫〉