A.R.T. CURATORIAL
Annual Thematic Highlight: “The Glory of Life”
To highlight the thematic spirit of “The Glory of Life,” A.R.T.’s art director Lee Sun-Don presents a whole new concept of installation art. With dinosaur as the skeleton and the images of 3C technologies and global stock/currency markets as the fleshes, Director Lee showcases the pounding impact of the fluctuation of international stock/currency markets, as powerful as a gigantic dinosaur, on global economy.
A.R.T. Curatorial I
Specially selected from Taiwan’s contemporary female artists, each with her own style and painting language, this section demonstrates the power of women’s creativity. The art trio Ma Sing Ling presents their newest collection, “Iron Lady,” a series with British former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her personal collectibles as the painting motif to honor this female world leader’s strong will. GOGO Yu, as usual, builds her fantasy upon colorfulness to create artworks full of child-like innocence and her unleashed imagination. Yachi Lai’s new series “The Widow with a View Unbound” features the emotional-comforting pets set against splash-ink landscape painting inspired by Chinese art master Chang Da-Chien. There are also Luna Chen, who crafts a romantic fairy world on canvas, and Jen-Ming Sa, whose suave brushworks give her painting a very unique warming feel and a cheerful caricature style.
Special Exhibit: Artistic Motors
Two artistic motors inspired by the artworks of Ma Sing Ling and Luna Chen, respectively, are demonstrated here. These two crossover projects with China Motor are definitely eye-catching!
A.R.T. Curatorial II
This section features portraits by artists with different styles. Alex Alemany, who paints for Spanish royalties, is an artist of magic realism, and Modesto Trigo Trigo often uses techniques for portrait to illustrate the cityscapes. While Tina Spratt portrays women’s private moments, Vladimir Volegov demonstrates women’s most enchanting stance. As to Eloy Morales, his works carry quite a realistic tinge. All together, they demonstrate the unlimited possibilities in the art of portrait.
A.R.T. Curatorial III
This section juxtaposes contemporary European works with Asian art. Svyatoslav Artemov from Russia depicts the urban landscapes, while Mongolian artist Zayasaikhan Sambuu portrays the female nomads of his own country. Alexis Alemany from Spain uses light, color, and dreamland to build his magical realism, while Korean Hae Kwang Jeong shows us his emotion-imbued realistic artworks. There are also Liu Baojun, one of China’s most representative artists, and Pei Lianzhi, known for his specially-developed impasto painting style. Song Yonghua, Xu Wenyong, and Liu Fei also exhibit here.
Focal Exhibit: Totemic Sculptural Art with Fossils of Hundreds of Millions of Years Old
To go beyond not just the human history, but also one’s limits—artist Lee Sun-Don’s “The World in Hand” does just that, a series integrating the prehistoric fossil with contemporary bronze sculpture and his exclusively-developed totemic energy art. This year, he transcends himself with fossils in even larger size and harder to come by, which makes the creation process more challenging. Each selected fossil is precious and unique in its own way, ranging from dinosaurs and aquatic reptiles—especially Mosasaur, Thalattosaur, Ichthyosaur, and Claudiosauru—to the invaluable gemstone-class ammolite and fossil wood. This is truly a breathtaking exhibit—it represents not only nature’s work of art, but also human’s.
International Contemporary Art
This section invites artists from around the world to demonstrate cultural pluralism in the performance of art and to promote Taiwan’s dialogue with the international art circles. Alfonso Cuñado uses scraper and color to create images with dynamic perspective, while Ishiodori Tatsuya uses gold and platinum to bring out an aura of magnificence. Manuel Lopez Herrera is known for his surrealist style, and Kuniaki Kuroki is a glass artist. There are also artworks by Cindy Thornton, Loes van Delft, Yelena Dyumin, and Koji Kinutani.
The Greats vis-à-vis the Greats
This unit gathers artists with exquisite skills and distinguished styles. French Thibault Jandot combines academic-trained fine brushworks with wild scrawling. Sculptor Kanis Alexey specializes in using stone, metal, and wood for creation. Winner of several international juried competitions Anna Bocek creates with inspirations drawn from surroundings. There is also water color landscape painter Ivan Dodov.
Spaniard Art Zone
The Spaniard Art Zone showcases the artists led by the Spanish ROSA art group. Landscape painter Miguel Peidro's artworks reveal sentiments of serenity and mystery, while Ana Perpinya presents cityscapes in a different style. Vicente Romero Redondo is known for his pastel creation. There are also Toni Cassany, Ulpiano Carrasco, and Andrés Rueda.
New York Contemporary Art Fund
New York Contemporary Art Fund, which has contributed to the development of contemporary art since its establishment, presents to us several world-renowned artists as usual. Peter H. Harskamp, reputed as “Picasso of the Netherlands,” uses geometrics to bring out the dynamism and life of the objects created. Tatiana Kalyn, dubbed as one of Russia’s most dazzling stars, paints her self-reflection, emotion and lived experiences on canvas. Catrin Welz-Stein, a German-born graphic designer, brings new form to traditional portrait with her unusual imagination and elegant strokes. István Cene gál István, with collectors from 27 countries, beautifully blends poetry and light in her work. Other exhibiting artists in this section include Antonio Cazorla, Denis Sarazhin, Alex Bertaina, David Graux, and Michal Straska.
International Artist Salon
This section displays artworks by artists selected from last year’s “International Artist Grand Prize Competition.” Along with the First Prize winner of 2015 Kurma Venkata Siva Prasad, a self-taught painter, there are Khaled Zaki, who had represented Egypt to exhibit in the Venice Biennale 2013; Denis Mikhaylov, a Russian artist integrating classic motif into contemporary thinking and having collectors across Europe and America; Dita Luse, a Latvian artist versed in using light and shade to depict the architectures or sculptures of the Middle Ages. Three famous Hungarian artists also exhibit: Endre László Szász, László Gulyás, and Zsolt Fekete.
China Contemporary Art
This section is characterized with artworks by Chinese artists with solid training, innovative ideas, powerful imagination, and collectible potentials. Liu Jiutong leads us to a landscape that is spacious and spiritually transcendental. Sanzi captures the beauty of nature and ever liveliness of existence. Chen Erfu illustrates the poetically enchanting images of Jiangnan, the Lower Yangzi River Delta. Bai Yalin, graduating from Russia’s Repin Academy of Fine Arts, sophisticatedly portrays the minority ethnic’s honesty and resilience. Yang Lieming, also studying art in Russia, is known for his strong colors and illustration of cultural flairs unfamiliar to us. There are also Zhang Yuying, Ceng Qunce, Liu Jianhua, Xiong Shi, Zhang Baihai, Yigu Zhangli, Xie Yi, Wu Zhipeng, Zhao Bei, and Wang Dutao.
Taiwan Contemporary Art
This section features both the artists in the prime of their life and the emerging talents, displaying diversified and cross-generational facets of contemporary art in Taiwan. Hsu Tung-Rung exhibits his oriental-tinted sculptures and calligraphic-inspired paintings. Lu Tsung-Tsan’s freehand brushworks are simultaneously modern and nostalgic. Yu Lian-Chun, once again, demonstrates his sophisticated catch of human body and movements. There are also Wang Wen-Tsung, Cheng Chen-Wen, Yao Yuan, Pan Peng-Pin, Liu Han-Wen, Wei Chi-I, Lin Tsung-Ming, Liu Nian-Hsin, Chen Sheng, Li Jung-Kuang, Wu Tsuo-Chang, Chen Li-Wei, Hsu Su-Hsia, Li Tian-Hsin, and Taiwan’s famous entertainer Mickey Huang.
Contemporary Ink Painting
Contemporary ink painting, combining food for thought from western art and the charm of traditional ink painting, is now a spotlight in modern times. Liao Melian integrates her literary and philosophical reflection into her creation; while Sha Ching-Hua illustrates a transcendental worldview with colors dancing between black ink. Lin Xiangyuan, who had been invited to exhibit in Musée du Louvre of Paris, challenges the traditional form of landscape imageries. Liu Yun, graduating from China Academy of Art, specializes in the composition of light and dark and harmonious infusion of east and west. You can also behold the ink paintings by Wei I-Chen, Lei Dingdi, Liou De-Shing, Cao Ying, and Ouyang Shijian, etc.
Art with Entrepreneurs
This section is designed with an aim to provide a stage for Taiwan’s gifted artists to shine on the international platform. With sponsorship from companies and enterprises, the A.R.T. authority selects the artists with great potential and promise to exhibit in the fair, which may thus open a new page for their career as an artist. The artists selected for this section this year include Liu Wei-Cen, Lin Hsuan-Che, Lu Chen-I, Tu Tze-Hua, Shih You-Chung, and Chen Yong-Yu.
International Artist Grand Prize Competition 2016
“The International Artist Grand Prize Competition,” organized by Taiwan International Contemporary Artist Association in affiliation with A.R.T., is one of Asia’s top art events. This year, it drew 4058 entries by artists from 73 countries to enroll. There are 101 pieces chosen for A.R.T. 2016, including the work by Carlo Alberto Palumbo, an artist of classical realism, also a winner of Italian International Arte Laguna Prize 2007. Of the chosen works, one Championship Award and several Gallery Awards will be granted, and the winners will be sponsored by the X-Power Gallery to exhibit at the A.R.T. of the following year.
Art and Design
To integrate art into daily life, A.R.T. especially invites GP DEVA, an international boutique group, to organize this section. To add new value to the original artworks, GP DEVA presents aesthetics-inspired merchandise in aspects of home décor, leather goods, stationery, chinaware, jewelry, scarf, etc. Worth mentioning, the hand-crafted furniture made of rare Miyoshiro cedar and the dazzling ammolite jewelry are also displayed.
Art Your Compassion
To link art with philanthropy and promote public interests in collecting art, A.R.T. invites celebrities, social elites, and entrepreneurs at home and abroad to create artwork for charity sale. These artworks are about the size of 17.5 x 14 cm; each is priced at NT$1000. The visitor is allowed to collect two artworks at most. The name of the artist will be revealed to the collector only after he or she has purchased the work. All proceeds will go directly to the designated charity organization. This year, the chosen institute is Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation, an organization dedicated to burn survivors and people with facial disfigurement. Staff from the Foundation will take charge of the entire charity sale.
The participants for “Art Your Compassion” this year range from Taiwan’s political leaders and successful businessmen to the world’s prestigious Nobel laurate. They include, just to name a few, Taiwan’s first female president-to-be Tsai Ing-Wen, Taiwan’s current vice president Wu Den-Yih, Chairman of Fubon Financial Tsai Ming-Chung and his wife, Chairman of Hotai Development Su Yi-Chung, Nobel laurate in chemistry Lee Yuan-Tseh, Chairman of Ta Chong Securities Chen Tien-Tao, Chairman of Allianz Global Investors Rita Hsu, Chairman of ET Home Wang Ying-Jie, Chief Executive Officer of PC Home Online Jan Hung-Tze, Board member of Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation Chang Cheng-Chung, Taiwan’s reputed tennis player Lu Yen-Hsun, Taiwanese go chess master residing in Japan Chang Hsu, and Taiwan go chess champion Chou Chun-Hsun. There are also celebrities from the entertaining business, such as Mickey Huang, Lin Chi-Ling (Taiwan’s most popular model), Jolin Tsai, S.H.E., Jam Hsiao, Bo-Lin Chen, Amber An, Michael Wong, A-Lin, Summer Meng, Yaoyao, and many others.
“Art Your Compassion” Charity Sale
Date & Time: 12:00～15:00, April 22 (Fri.), 2016