Taiwan Today

Last October the municipal Museum of Fiber Arts (MOFiA) in the central city of Taichung held an exhibition featuring 100 natural dye colors derived from Taiwan’s native plants. The display included rich hues often encountered in local life such as banana yellow, cement gray, milk-tea brown, paddy green and watermelon red. The exhibition arose from research into natural pigments by Tennii Studio, founded in 2003 by fiber artists Chen Ching-lin (陳景林) and Ma Yu-hsiu (馬毓秀) in central Taiwan’s Nantou County. Just a year after the two established the studio, Chen was recognized as an outstanding artisan by the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI), and in 2020 both were recognized by Nantou County Government as preservers of the traditional natural dyeing craft. Four years later, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) honored Chen with Taiwan’s highest distinction in the field: the National Crafts Achievement Award. “I consider it a joint honor since we’ve collaborated closely for the last 40 years,” he said. “This accolade belongs to both of us.”

The prestigious award is given to artisans with over 30 years of experience and recognizes their skill, innovative use of material and contributions to cultural preservation and global exchange. During the award ceremony at the National Taiwan Arts Education Center in Taipei City, Chen recited a poem celebrating the beauty of natural dyes and Taiwan’s landscapes, which are common themes in his work. “I strive to merge art and craft by exploring and sustainably utilizing Taiwan’s natural and cultural resources,” he said.

Craft Awakening
Born in 1956 in Nantou’s Shuili Township, Chen pursued fine arts at National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, earning both undergraduate and master’s degrees. The university’s Department of Fine Arts was founded in the 1940s primarily to train educators. “I studied traditional disciplines like drawing and watercolor,” he recalled. “But I also wanted to explore new possibilities.” Ma graduated from the same department and has since specialized in ethnic items such as the clothing and embroidery of Indigenous groups both in Taiwan and abroad. During the 1980s exposure to international modern art through magazines and exhibitions at Taipei Fine Arts Museum expanded the artists’ perspectives. Influenced by mixed media, installation art and innovative textiles, Chen later brought this knowledge into his teaching roles at Fu-Hsin Trade and Arts School and Nanshan High School in New Taipei City, while Ma worked for a literary magazine in Taipei.

In 1985 Chen and Ma took apprenticeships with veteran textile artisan Lou Jing-wei (婁經緯), a former research assistant to American fabric designer Mary Allard. Allard was heavily influenced by Germany’s Bauhaus movement, which sought to fuse fine art and functional design, and passed her approach on to Lou. “We indirectly learned modern Western craft and design principles through our mentor,” Chen said. The experience sparked a deep dive into fiber arts, which has encompassed research, field studies and hands-on experimentation.

Starting in the late 1980s Chen and Ma traveled to southwestern China, documenting traditional weaving and dyeing practices still in use by Indigenous communities. “Unlike Taiwan, where urbanization had transformed daily life, these communities’ fabric traditions were largely unchanged,” Chen explained. In the early 1990s the two quit their jobs to focus on studying dyeing techniques. “Conducting interviews and gathering written and audiovisual sources required our full-time commitment,” Ma recalled. At the same time Chen’s woven pieces were gaining national recognition and earning major art and craft awards.

In preparation for an exhibition focusing on the Asia-Pacific, the MOFiA invited Chen to observe fabric art traditions in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture in 1997. Inspired by the trip, the museum commissioned both Chen and Ma to research Taiwan’s native dye plants. “We divided the work,” Ma said. “He handled overall planning and I oversaw collection and sorting of relevant data, which my former experience as a magazine editor helped a lot with.” Between 1998 and 2001 they tested hundreds of plant species, producing more than 1,500 color samples from 126 plants. Their findings were published in 2002 as “The Essence of Nature: An Encyclopedia on Natural Dyeing in Taiwan,” with a sequel in 2004. Updated editions released in 2022 included additional insights into mineral and animal-derived dyes, as well as Taiwan’s rich indigo-dyeing traditions.

Living Colors
Taiwan boasts over 400 native plants with dyeing properties, with 100 to 200 species both effective and easily accessible. Chen and Ma both advocate for the revival of natural dyes, emphasizing their eco-friendly benefits. “Unlike synthetic dyes, which contribute to pollution, plant pigments offer a sustainable alternative,” he said. Since publishing its research, Tennii Studio has collaborated on community projects promoting local plant-based dyes for environmental education and cultural revitalization. “We take turns traveling to different places based on our respective schedules,” Ma said. “For long-term courses, Chen concentrates more on the theoretical aspect and I primarily teach practical skills.”

Notable initiatives have taken place in New Taipei’s Sanxia District, Fenglin Township in the eastern county of Hualien and Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan. In the latter location, Tennii partnered with local activists and entities such as Yilan Nature Dye Association to develop naturally dyed products such as clothing, scarves, bags and home decor. “A grassroots movement in textiles and apparel is thriving across Taiwan,” Chen said. Ma added that she hopes to see further expansion of fiber crafts.

Notable initiatives have taken place in New Taipei’s Sanxia District, Fenglin Township in the eastern county of Hualien and Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan. In the latter location, Tennii partnered with local activists and entities such as Yilan Nature Dye to develop naturally dyed products such as clothing, scarves, bags and home decor. “A grassroots movement in textiles and apparel is thriving across Taiwan,” Chen said. Ma added that she hopes to see further expansion of fiber crafts.

Beyond community projects, Chen has taught at leading universities, including National Taipei University of Education, Taipei National University of the Arts, Ling Tung University in Taichung, Transworld University in western Taiwan’s Yunlin County, Tainan National University of the Arts in the southern city of Tainan and neighboring Kaohsiung City’s Shu-Te University. Ma has taught at University of Taipei and community colleges and spends a considerable portion of her time managing the studio. Their influence extends into Taiwan’s fashion industry, where they have collaborated with brands and designers such as Chen Yi-yu (陳翊羽), Hsu Chiu-i (徐秋宜), Hsu Yen-lin (許艷玲), Li Yu-lian (李玉蓮) and Justin Chou (周裕穎), the latter of whom has showcased his work at New York Fashion Week. In 2018 Chou partnered with the Taipei-based National Palace Museum to create a collection inspired by the Song dynasty (960-1279) piece “Travelers Among Mountains and Streams” and other artworks. For the project Chen dyed a men’s ensemble in deep indigo to echo the tones of the ink painting. This year he cooperated with Hsu Yen-lin on designs for Taipei Fashion Week in March.

From fashion runways to global exhibitions, Tennii Studio continues to share Taiwan’s rich dyeing traditions. Earlier this year Chen and Ma curated an exhibition in collaboration with the Yilan group at the Natural Dyeing Culture Center in Naju, South Korea, strengthening international ties. Plans for this year include showcasing Taiwan’s vibrant natural colors at the 2025 Osaka Expo, once again bringing the island’s heritage to the world stage.

Write to Pat Gao at cjkao@mofa.gov.tw