Featuring pieces by 16 artists culled from 258 submissions around the nation, the 12-week event comprises an eclectic mix of performance art, installations, paintings, prints, photographs and videos.
Ni Chung-hwa, commissioner of Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs, said the exhibition fully displays the award finalists’ unbridled creativity and serves as a platform for local talents to conduct exchanges. “It further allows the public to appreciate winning pieces and helps strengthen the award’s leading position in Taiwan’s artistic scene.”
Echoing Ni’s remarks, TFAM Director Lin Ping said given the rising popularity of the contest since 2001 as a non-categorized competition, the museum chose to upgrade the prizes in 2010 to encourage more artists to take part. “The Grand Prize winner can now hold a solo exhibition at the museum within two years and receives a cash prize of NT$550,000 (US$16,664), while five artists who receive Honorable Mentions will be granted NT$120,000.”
The Grand Prize this year went to the 12-photograph series “Metamorphosis” by Wang Hsiang-lin. Through pictures taken at parks in the cities of Taipei and New York during winter, the artworks convey a sense of isolation and discomfort.
According to Wang, her aim was to catch a solitary moment in people’s daily lives in order to depict the sensation of loneliness. One photo of the series, in which Wang stands naked while holding a blank canvas, was an attempt to illustrate helplessness concerning an uncertain future.
Another praiseworthy work is “My Body is an Air Quality Monitoring Station” by an Honorable Mention recipient Lin Tay-jou. Intentionally using low-resolution digital images and videos, Lin demonstrated his concerns over environmental pollution caused by the expansion of petrochemical industry.
Running through March 13 next year, pieces on display also include the other four Honorable Mentions such as “Pacific Princess” by Chang Hsia-fei and “Reborn Tree Series” by Chuang Chih-wei, and 10 Selected Awards such as “Wasteland” by Liao Chao-hao and “Eastern Messiah” by Guo Yu-ping. (YCH-JG)
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