An art exhibition exploring the history of sites where rights violations occurred opened Nov. 28 at the National Human Rights Museum in New Taipei City as part of government efforts to raise awareness and further discussions on transitional justice.
Running through March 31, 2019, the event features creations by 21 artists about locations such as police stations and prisons from the White Terror period.
Comprising installations, photographs and sculptures, the pieces are the result of a four-month project in which the artists attended seminars, workshops and interviews with former political prisoners aimed at deepening their understanding of the sites.
NHRM Director Chen Chun-hung said that since the establishment of its preparatory office, the museum has conducted research on numerous places where injustices happened and published a detailed report on 45 of them. The exhibition offers new perspectives on the locations and illuminates their complex histories, he added.
Of the works on show, three earned special recognition from a judging panel made up of designers and scholars. These include “Basic Needs Memorial Day” by Lin Yi-chun, a calendar highlighting the number of White Terror victims.
Also selected was “A New Message from the Underground” by Kuo Po-yu and She Wen-ying, a multimedia installation imagining a document room for letters written by political prisoners, as well as Tien Zong-yuan’s “Going Up,” which comprises five miniature models and uses urban design concepts to spotlight White Terror policies.
The creators of these works will receive trips to human rights institutions and museums in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Berlin, Germany; and Gwangju, South Korea, respectively.
Administered by the Ministry of Culture, the NHRM is the nation’s primary facility for collecting and preserving historical documents and materials relating to human rights from the end of 50 years of Japanese colonial rule Aug. 15, 1945, to the lifting of martial law five years after Taiwan proper in outlying Kinmen and Matsu islands Nov. 7, 1992.
The museum also manages two sites: Green Island White Terror Memorial Park in Taitung County, southeastern Taiwan, and Jing-Mei White Terror Memorial Park in New Taipei City. (CPY-E)
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