Art in Taipei

If you want to observe the multifaceted manifestations of 5,000 years of art and culture, or feel for yourself the joy and harmony of life in a heterogeneous society, then a tour of Taiwan is just what you need. Perhaps the best thing about experiencing the endless variety of Taiwan's artistic wonders is that whatever you like, whether it be folk festivals, religious faith, traditional skills, or modern art, is that everything is right at hand. You can find expressions of the island's rich and varied art on every street and lane, and in the lives of the people. Every part of Taiwan shows its own unique local characteristics, profoundly different yet centered on a common cultural core. Taiwan has a profuse history of both visual and performing arts which have survived over the centuries to carve an exclusive niche for Taiwan in the realm of art. By mixing traditional and contemporary, Eastern and Western, local and international, Taiwan's artists in both the visual and performing arts are exploring different approaches and developing their own unique styles. 

 

Arts such as woodcarving, weaving ,wickerwork, and pottery, as well as ceremonial dance and song, have always played central roles in indigenous life, and have strong traditions of individuality, innovation, and creativity. The Paiwan and Rukai peoples of southern Taiwan, for example, are especially known the world over for their woodcarvings of stylized human figures, geometric patterns, and images of the hundred-pacer snake. The Yami of Orchid Island are best known for their sturdy, hand-built boats made without nails or glue; and Atayal women use simple back-strap looms to create rectilinear patterns of squares diamonds and triangles. Dance and music are among the richest legacies of Taiwan's indigenous peoples.  Group dances that are performed at a wide variety of ceremonies and rituals.

 

 

Puppetry

Three styles of puppetry are common in Taiwan: glove puppets, shadow puppets, and marionettes. Glove puppetry is one of the most important traditional performing arts in Taiwan, an art form that incorporates literary motifs, music, and voice acting. Glove puppets with finely embroidered costumes, exquisite headdresses, and delicately carved faces perform on elaborate stages covered with intricate gold carvings. Shadow puppets cut out of leather and painted in bright colours are larger, lit from behind and with joints, allowing movement, the puppets throw a colourful and lively performance onto the white screen viewed by audiences. Marionette puppets are usually about two feet high and, manipulated by up to 14 strings, are usually presented in front of simple backdrops. Many of the stories used in puppet shows are adapted from classical literature or ancient legends.

 

Painting

Taiwanese painting had evolved down the centuries to incorporate a wide variety of styles and subjects in the 20th century. From the traditional ink paintings to the modern experimental ones, the paintings of Taiwan are a rich variety. A new generation of Taiwan painters appeared during the period of Japanese rule and through their Nativist Art, characterized by a conscious desire to depict images evoking Taiwan's unique identity. Recent trends since the 1980s and 1990s have seen artists employ a much broader variety of styles and subject matters, and use their Taiwan consciousness to express ideas relating to identity and filled with symbolic or metaphorical images.

 

Sculpture

Before the 1920s, the only forms of sculpture flourishing in Taiwan were those used in temple and folk arts. It was not until the 1970s, however, that sculpture was widely accepted as a fine-art genre, becoming a regular feature at galleries and museums in the 1980s. As in the West, Taiwan's sculpture has also evolved into avant-garde forms of installation and performance art.

 

 

Ceramics

The ceramic art of Taiwan is a considerably modern development. While shapes and patterns were experimented with, Taiwan emerged as proficient in ceramic art as well. Taiwan contemporary ceramic art emerged in the late 1940s. The Yingge Ceramic Museum, Taiwan's first, opened in 2000 to present the latest developments in Taiwan's ceramics and to promote cultural exchanges with overseas artists.

 

Seal Carving

Carving names or other inscriptions onto chops was once a requisite skill for an well-rounded literati, along with painting and calligraphy. Nowadays, chops used for daily business transactions are generally machine carved, only a small number of artists still specialize in the art of engraving name chops by hand. Typically made of wood, jade, or soft previous stones, the body of a name chop may be left plain or be sculpted into symbolic images such as lions or dragons. In addition to their use in business transactions, chops are imprinted onto traditional paintings and calligraphy to identify the artist and add aesthetic feeling.

 

Music

The four main professional Chinese music groups in Taiwan are the Taipei Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra, National Chinese Orchestra, Kaohsiung Chinese Orchestra, and Chinese Orchestra of the Broadcasting Corporation of China. At least another ten smaller ensembles perform regularly around the island. These musicians play mostly traditional Chinese instruments, but sometimes perform Western compositions or Chinese works that incorporate Western-style rhythms or harmonies. Despite the important position of traditional Chinese music in Taiwan, Western classical music predominates. The main Western-style orchestras are the National Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. Private orchestras and ensembles include the Taipei Sinfonietta and Philharmonic Orchestra and Ju Percussion Group.

 

Drama

Taiwanese opera features colourful makeup and costumes, stage props, and stylized gestures. It was initially performed on outdoor stages, often in front of temples. Taiwan's theater scene exploded in the 1960s with the so-called Little Theater Movement. Private mini-theaters proliferated in the 1970s and directors experimented freely with stage techniques and imaginative interpretations of both local and Western plays. 

 

Dance

Taiwan has a distinct style of dance. Traditional Taiwanese dance is a delicate form comprising mainly of foot movements. The original dance form has however, considerably altered in the 20th century, and Taiwan today stages a number of commendable performances of modern dance.

 

 

Art Taipei, whose former name is Taipei Art Fair International, is the most long-standing art fair in Asia. Since 1992, on the demanding from both galleries and collectors, Art Taipei has been organized by Art Gallery Association for 17 years.
The attraction of Art Taipei is Chinese arts. Art Taipei is the most experienced and professional art fair trading Chinese arts. This is depends on the great knowledge and relationship of Taiwan galleries. By 1995, Art Taipei innovated and became an international art event. Besides galleries form Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia, there were also some participants form Europe and North America. After 2000, with the open policy between Taiwanand China, galleries form China and Hong Kong have increased and Art Taipei now is truly the most important platform for Chinese arts.

 

Traditional handicrafts such as paper cutting, chinese knots, oil paper umbrellas, blowing sugar figurines, scented sachets, whipping tops, diabolos, kites, calligraphy and dough figuring sculpture continue to be fairly common in Taiwan. Traditional performing arts such as puppetry, dragon and lion dancing, folk opera and dance, and traditional acrobatic have a tough time competing with modern day entertainment. The Council for Cultural Affairs (CCA) support numerous folk art festivals in the bid to revive interest in the same, covering everything from paper umbrellas and lanterns, to Hakka "mountain songs," drum dances, and comedy skits. Woodcarving and other temple crafts have also advanced in recent years. Woodblock printing is also experiencing a renewal of interest. Used especially for New Year hangings, woodcut prints are of a simply, rural style and commonly depict folk deities. Other traditional and modern printmaking techniques include lithography, silk-screening and etching.