Art Taipei 2018 Embraces Change in its 25th Edition
With the theme of ‘Indefinite Museum’, the fair celebrates the digital world
By Ilyda Chua
Art Taipei, Taiwan’s longest-running art fair, will celebrate its silver jubilee with over 450 artists and 135 galleries, from 13 countries — all centred around the theme ‘Indefinite Museum’.
Handrio, ‘Abstraction in Space’, 1974, oil on canvas, 53 x 85cm. Image courtesy of Asia Art Center.
The fair will run from 26 to 29 October at the Taipei World Trade Centre. This year’s theme highlights two things: on the one hand, the move of art from the private to the public sphere; and on the other, it acknowledges how this move was largely accomplished through digitalisation. A special exhibition, ‘Technology Art’, celebrates this by zooming in on the wide-ranging possibilities of the digital space, both in artistic practice and viewing perspective.
In true Art Taipei fashion, homegrown artists remain a major focus of the fair. Its ‘Made in Taiwan’ exhibition, which aims to place young Taiwanese artists under the age of 35 on an international stage, will enter its 20th year with 69 competing artists. The exhibition collaborates with galleries, curators, collectors and media to spotlight emerging talents and help connect them with galleries.
Visitors can also look forward to viewing diverse examples of Asian contemporary art. These include overseas galleries such as Italian gallery Massimo De Carlo, which will represent Hong Kong-based contemporary artist, Lee Kit, previously a country representative in the 2013 Venice Biennale.
Lee Kit, ‘A girl in a gallery’, 2017, acrylic, emulsion paint, inkjet ink, pencil and correction fluid on plywood, 57 x 66cm. Image courtesy of Art Taipei.
ShanghART, one of China’s first contemporary art galleries, will represent renowned Chinese photographer Chen Wei, whose mesmerising works depicting urban architecture draw inspiration from modern Chinese literature.
Chen Wei, ‘Wonderful Archival’, 2017, inkjet print, 100 x 100cm. Image courtesy of Art Taipei.
Meanwhile, Asia Art Center, which has has spaces in both Taipei and Beijing, will debut the ‘Ethereal Cloud’ series by Taiwanese artist Li Chen. Best known for his figurative sculptures, the project is a result of the artist’s new experiments with abstracted sculptural forms emulative of nature.
The gallery will also present works by modern Indonesian artist Handrio and Japanese sculptor Nobuo Sekine, in a bid to expand its vision of post-war Asian art, which was previously focused on Chinese artists. “The exhibition announces Asia Art Center's ambition to establish a broader network of artists within its branding, as the gallery aims to provide a comprehensive overview of modern Asian art for our collectors,” says a spokesman from the gallery.
Li Chen, ‘Radiance・Chiliadal Blossom (I)’, 2018, bronze, 51.5 x 40.5x74cm. Image courtesy of Asia Art Center.
Closer to home in Southeast Asia, galleries from three countries will showcase their works, including Vin Gallery, based in Ho Chi Minh City. From Malaysia, Kuala-Lumpur-based galleries Art WeMe Contemporary Gallery, V’ Art Space, and G13 Gallery will be exhibiting alongside Pearl Mind Gallery, REDSEA Gallery, and the Singapore International Contemporary Art Society.
A&M is proud to be an official media partner of Art Taipei 2018.
