Chiayi Art Museum is bolstering appreciation and understanding of Taiwan’s art traditions among the public while ushering in a new era of creation characterized by the fusion of new and old.
The landmark institution in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi City opened its doors last November as part of the local government’s efforts to highlight the city’s long cultural history.
Mayor Huang Ming-hui inaugurated the museum alongside several distinguished guests, including Chen Cheng-po Cultural Foundation Director Chen Li-po, grandson of the modern painting pioneer and foundation namesake.
According to CAM Director Lai Yi-hsin, Chen Cheng-po played a pivotal role in cementing the city’s artistic reputation. The museum aims to strengthen the area’s heritage by serving as the hub of historic and contemporary art in Chiayi City and County as well as the nearby Tainan City and Yunlin County, she added.
Since there is not yet a deep awareness of Taiwan artists from the pre-World War II era, Lai hopes to turn CAM into a base for cultivating local art historians while bridging the gap in public knowledge through targeted exhibitions and research programs.
To this end, CAM recently launched a three-year art history project funded by the Ministry of Culture. Findings of the in-depth study will be published in three sections respectively highlighting Chiayi’s art during the pre-war, post-war and new millennium periods, with a focus on individual creative works and decades of collective efforts by local artists and art groups.
The museum is part of a growing movement to spur interest in the arts, joining an increasing number of public institutions newly or soon-to-be completed across the country. Local governments in the northern city of Hsinchu, the southern county of Pingtung and the eastern county of Hualien are looking to Chiayi’s experience setting up CAM as they establish or upgrade similar facilities.
Preferences in Taiwan are beginning to shift away from foreign artworks, according to Lai. To nurture the burgeoning sentiment, she advocates for the establishment of a collaborative museum ecosystem serving all corners of the country.
For her own part, Lai is thrilled to take an active role in making sure overlooked artists are finally getting the attention they deserve. “Homegrown art still has unplumbed depths,” she said. “By corollary, the people of Taiwan still have much to learn about their homeland.” (E) (By Pat Gao)
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(This article is adapted from “New Dawn” in the March/April 2021 issue of Taiwan Review. The Taiwan Review archives dating to 1951 are available online.)