Taiwan Trending

CEBU, Philippines — It hit me pretty late, although in hindsight, it seemed so obvious. The conclusion should have crystallized early on, given my suddenly frequent trips: the new mecca of art isn’t Singapore or Indonesia – it’s Taiwan.

Of course, we should take out the Philippines from the equation, because as far as anyone and everyone in the local art world is concerned, Manila is so happening. Here is the place to show and the place to buy.  The luster of the Pearl of the Orient Seas is blindingly evident, as Filipino artists make waves abroad, and foreign buyers invest in Filipino talent.  And we should take out Hong Kong and mainland China, because, let’s face it, the sheer level of wealth that’s already invested in Chinese talent is absolutely staggering.

But below those unscalable heights? Well, if one were to wonder where the next hotspot would be, my bet would be firmly on Taiwan.

Now, I don’t pretend to be an art expert.   That subject is so rich, so complex and variegated, that claiming to be an art expert would be asking to be exposed as a fraud.  On the other hand, though, I can claim to be an art witness.   I’ve spent many years gazing at art.  Sculptures.Performance art.Recycled art.Concept art.  Art has done much to occupy my time.  And over the past year, as I look back at my itinerary, instant revelation!

In the space of 2017, I have traveled to three separate cities in Taiwan (Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung) to appreciate art, and this year, Tainan beckoned.  If that fact doesn’t tell you how active the Taiwanese art scene is, then I don’t know what will.

Here is a rundown of my favorite encounters in that isle of Formosa, and hopefully, the reader will agree:

Taichung

The friendliness of the Taiwanese is legend, and the denizens of Taichung are no exception.  I hailed an Uber-x ride, and what do you know, a gleaming Porsche driven by motoring enthusiast Johnny Chen materialized.  I couldn’t believe my eyes at the sight of the luxury car, and a few minutes of hilarity and amiable conversation then followed.  Soon enough, before I got deposited at the art fair (and the hotel valets came scrambling to open the doors for me), Johnny had become my Facebook friend.

That amiable encounter set the tone for the entire fair, and I was on a friendly buzz as I wandered around the hotel rooms set aside for the galleries.  And what a feast there was on offer, as I saw not just local art, but even Japanese, Malaysian and Ukrainian talent.  There was a strong streak of pop and contemporary art in the collections, and one would be hard pressed to find classical paintings on display.  Instead, collectible toys, cartoon characters, and dainty dolls were the name of the game.

I was very easy to convince, and very shortly, I found myself reserving a resin sculpture by David Ho, entitled “Exposing my Demon.” The nasty pterodactyl baby hiding inside a tabby’s head was soon being wrapped up for its trip to Manila. Other whimsical sculptures by Chen Shun Lin and Bounce captured the art lover’s eyes as well.  There were homoerotic paintings by Xavier Wei, Japanese erotica by AsakuraKeirya, and Eastern European toy soldiers by Andrei Ostashov.

I spoke to a young artist named Chenyu Wu.  Featured by the Taichung city organizers, JYW’s almost-neon color palette belied the unsettling, certainly disturbing presentation of his works.  JYW has a very deep current to him, and his fractured figures, passed out in toilets or drowning in pools, stir undercurrents of fear.  I wasn’t sure whether, on a personal level, I could bring myself to take one home.  But I came back to gaze at his works over the next couple of days, and confirmed my initial gut feel that here was a talent to be reckoned with.

A few minutes later, I hit the jackpot, as I stumbled upon Gallery Grand Siecle. There on display were the delightfully crazy and almost distasteful paintings by international street artist Mr. Ogay.  I had seen Mr. Ogay’s graffiti works in Chiang Mai, and I was deliriously happy to see his affordable oil paintings on wooden chopping boards.  After much dithering over the choices available, I finally settled on “Tomato Lady.” (More on this artist later.)

Taipei

Just a couple of months after, and I found myself in the capital, flashing the VIP card given to me by Manila gallery Vinyl on Vinyl.  VoV had brought Reen Barrera’s Oh La La dolls and canvasses into Taipei, and it turned out to be a solid choice, as Reen held his own against the best of Taiwan.

Speaking of capital cities, one has to acknowledge that Art Taipei is a much bigger affair than the rest of the nation’s cities, and here were galleries from all over, including Spain, Singapore, Korea and Hong Kong. Gigantic sculptures by Murakami competed against enormous murals, and one could smell the scent of money being spent like crazy.

Occupying front and center was a humongous sculptural piece the size of an elephant.  This consisted of a pair of female legs from the exit, and a pair of muscular legs at the entrance.  (One could tell which was which by the anatomical references).  Upon entering either orifice, a sea of kaleidoscopic plastic spermatozoa hung from the ceiling greeted the intrepid art lover, menacing various egg cells strategically located around the cavern.  The exit from the female legs, it turned out, referenced birth from a womb. What a spectacular punctuation to art in this city!

Ballet dancers, lectures, and high-brow parties dotted the fair, but naturally, the focus was to discover Taiwanese talent, and this fair did not disappoint. Huang Yi Sheng’s gigantic sparrows were studies in hyper-realism as well as contemplation. Mo Chou Hung’s visual shocks of white feet and blue toenails were nevertheless strong pop statements.  An Sung Ha’s six-foot lollipops in crystal bowls were divine – and rightfully expensive.   What was not to gush over?

Kaohsiung

Near Christmas found me shivering in the cool air of the seaport city of Kaohsiung.  Slowly converting the disused warehouses and neglected ports into art centers, one can see the dedication of the city fathers at this task, with entire buildings surrendered to muralists and graffiti artists.  And as a lurid welcome to visitors, the organizers had positioned a luridly crimson-red canine fiend with matching graphic appendage. (Accompanying photo tastefully positioned to avoid potential scandal.)

The exhibition sites proper were scattered among both warehouses and several floors of a nearby hotel, and art lovers can spend countless hours absorbing art galore.  There were public installations, performances, and even street signs designed to please art aficionados.

Art students also showed plenty of potential.  One art school prepared a torture chamber, complete with dim lights and moan-y sound effects. A throne with two severed heads on wooden stakes impaled on the armrests dominated the chamber, and visitors were invited to ascend the throne.  Immediately upon seating, in response to pressure sensors, the severed heads would start spinning to hilarious and ghostly effect.  Strands of unkempt (and probably unwashed) hair adorning the heads were long enough to strike the seated visitor’s face, dramatically contributing to the overall grotesque impact.

In another gallery, a Japanese artist had shaved off her scalp area, and with a hand-held mirror, would painstakingly paint faces at the back of her head. Once a painted face was done, a moist cloth would be pressed on her scalp, allowing the paint to transfer onto the cloth.  After a successful transfer, the cloths could be sold for quite affordable sums.  Cool?  Yes, but in a freaky way.  What a delightful and original concept (but not necessarily translating to a sale for me.)

Tainan

Finally, March of this year ushered in Art Tainan, a relatively smaller event, but memorable nonetheless.  Unbeknownst to me, a surprise awaited!

As it turned out, Tainan is the home city of the wandering artist Mr. Ogay, and his murals abound the streets as testament to his genius.  Through the magic of Instagram, Mr. Ogay discovered that this writer was in town, and soon enough, a meet-and-greet was arranged by Galerie Grand Siecle.  At the appointed hour, an embarrassing display of idol-worship bordering on stalker-ish levels occurred, with me exclaiming at his free stickers, his baby daughter pics, and even his tattoos.  The big disappointment was being unable to visit Mr. Ogay’s home studio, but the obligatory photos compensated for this turn of events.

Notwithstanding the small size, the fair still offered enough memories to last.   Korean and Japanese galleries contributed to the Taiwanese fare, hawking small works of Yoshitomo Nara and Yayoi Kusama.  Even Qube Gallery, the lone Philippine representative, was able to showcase strong Cebu talent to the local community.  Local bets SioMontera, Kidlat and Kenichi Wani were introduced to the city’s connoisseurs, and were warmly received by the appreciative community.  After favorable press and TV coverage, the gallery was happy to report that local businessman Xiao-Wu had gobbled up Sio’s canvasses.

For those with a mind to explore the city, Blueprint Cultural and Creative Park offers a pitstop for art lovers, with sundry items such as original postcards, affordable crafts, and even handmade dog collars. The park provides a nice finishing touch, a good accompaniment to memories of Taiwanese ubiquities such as bubble tea, hotpot, and beef jerky.

Taiwan is on its way to international recognition – hence, a reported record number of participating galleries in the upcoming Art Basel and Art Central in Hong Kong.  My unsolicited advice?  Binge on Taiwanese talent.