Taiwan artists continue to shine on the world stage, with three local craftspeople picking up awards at competitions held in Italy and South Korea, according to the Ministry of Culture Aug. 16.
Cho Ming-shun won the gold prize at the 11th Korean International Ceramic Biennale with his ceramic titled LR Homunculus-LR teapot. The work depicts the relationship between humans and artifacts and will be on display in the Gyeonggi Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art from Oct. 1 to Nov. 28 in South Korea.
Another winner is metalsmith Chen Chun-tai’s piece Feng, which received the special prize at the 12th Cheongju Craft Biennale. The work reflects on restrictions placed on human-to-human interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be exhibited from Sept. 8 to Oct. 17 at the Culture Factory in Cheongju, South Korea.
Equally impressive is Wu Yu-jung, who grabbed third prize at the 11th Valcellina Award—International Contemporary Textile Fiber Art Competition for her work The River My Heart Seeks. Employing a traditional dyeing technique, the piece highlights environmental pollution and will be on display at the Museum of Blacksmiths’ Art and Cutlery until Sept. 21 in Maniago, Italy.
According to the MOC, Taiwan creatives have a well-earned reputation for excellence that is reflected in their performances in a variety of global competitions. Their success is helping the world to see Taiwan and raising the country’s profile in the international artistic community, the ministry added.
Established in 2001, the Korean International Ceramic Biennale is widely considered one of the four preeminent ceramics competitions in the world, alongside the Taiwan Ceramics Biennale; International Ceramics Festival in Mino, Japan; and International Competition of Contemporary Ceramic Art in Faenza, Italy. Cheongju Craft Biennale was first held in 1999 focusing on the fields of ceramics, woodcraft, textiles, and metalcraft, while the biennial Valcellina Award was launched in 1995 and is limited to entrants under 35 years old. (YCH-E)
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