A.R.T. CURATORIAL
This section highlights this year’s exhibiting theme, “The aspiration with which it all started～start with the first piece of work” It presents an installation art built on the element of “mind/heart,” symbolizing an artist’s first attempt and initial passion, along with the exhibiting artists’ first creation or the work expressing their original idea of creation. From this work, the viewers may get a different view for understanding an artist’s development of his/her own style.
International Contemporary Art
This section invites artists from around the world to demonstrate cultural pluralism in the performance of art and promote dialogue between Taiwan and the international art circles. Alexander Oligerov is distinguished for his extraordinary use of color, bold and forthright; the Samsung Group has collected more than forty of his artworks. Alfonso Cuñado specializes in using scrapper to create images with dynamic perspectives. Zofia Pałucha(ZOZO) illustrates in delicate lines and color blocks to craft a modern feel for the figures portrayed. Manuel López Herrera, one of the main contemporary classics in Spanish painting, invites the viewers to contemplate a full of fantasy better world where impossible characters exist and show their wonderful humanity. While Spaniard artist Vicente Romero Redondo brings light to his pastel strokes to capture sexy and elegant femininity, Lluís Ribas, also from Spain, portrays female figure playing with white color, movement and light in the beach. Soe Soe illustrates the hill landscape of Myanmar with color and texture. Javier Bajo, inspired by architectural forms, adopts essential concepts such as shape, space, and color to create a geometric impressionist style; his works are shown with great success in Spain and Europe. The exhibiting artists in this section include also Fermin Garcia Sevilla, Miguel Peidro, Mario García Miró, Blanco Grané, Jordi Isern, and Emi Uchida. The winner of The International Artist Grand Prize Competition 2015, Kurma Venkata Siva Prasad, also exhibits here.
New York Contemporary Art Fund
New York Contemporary Art Fund has contributed to the development of contemporary art in form of painting, photography, installation art, and mixed media since its establishment. This year, it presents works by A.R.T.’s ever-popular Dutch artist Peter H. Harskamp, also heralded “Picasso of the Netherlands,” and a rising star, British Sara Sammakia, who is known for her meticulously crafted embodiment of our relationship with consumer culture and our obsession with celebrity and the pulse of current popular culture. Sara completely sold out her exhibiting artworks in 2015 Basel in Miami; her work was also bid a very high price in 2016 Christie’s auction in London. Dutch artist Loes van Delft, the creator of famous cartoon figure Pjipje, also exhibits this year. Loes had designed an art-inspired jacket for singer Justin Bieber; Andy Warhol’s art agent has recommended him to many of the collectors in New York and London.
In addition, there are works by Mirella Guasti, a body sculptor, who had represented Italy to exhibit at the 54th Venice Biennale. KAMU, the couple of Olga & Sergey Kamennoy, create female portraits with multilayered paints in such a distinguished skill. Their artworks are not only collected by galleries around the world; they also won Moscow’s Kandinsky Award and, with their great contribution to promoting French culture, Paris’s Bronze Metal of the City. Polish Roch Urbaniak, awarded a distinguished graduate by Krakow Society of Fine Arts, is a promising artist in East Europe who likes to tell the stories of myths, legends and fairytales from around the world via surrealistic painting. Belgian Erwin Peeters, a world-class museum-collected sculptor, specializes in the realistic portrayal of animals: snapshots of animals in conflict, at rest, at play, etc. Russian American Natasha Foucault brings beauty into people’s lives with flowing paints shining on the silk, telling the stories of her travels around the world. There are also works by Maciej Urbaniak, Alicja Słaboń Urbaniak, Sebastián Borla, Ralf Heynen, Marco Santaniello, Esther Ziher-Ginczinger, Richard Young, Alex Bertaina, Brita Seifert, Julian Voss-Andreae, Galya Popova, Thibault Jandot, István Cene gál, Cindy Thornton, etc.
International Artist Salon
This section displays artworks by artists selected from last year’s International Artist Grand Prize Competition. Khaled Zaki had represented Egypt to exhibit at the 55th Venice Biennale. Igor Grechanyk is an international-renowned sculptor and recipient of Ukrainian National Olympics Medal. Hasan Kirdi from Turkey specializes in portraying the fishing village and fishermen’s everyday life in watercolors. Bhaskararao Botcha uses thick paints, shades, and lines to illustrate Indian mythology and the beauty of trees. Carlo Alberto Palumbo, an artist of classical realism, won Italian International Arte Laguna Prize 2007. Pascal Bejeannin, with his blindness as a source of creativity and inspiration, creates mostly monochrome including black and gray painted steel sculpture.
China Contemporary Art
This section showcases the artworks by Chinese artists with solid training, innovative ideas, powerful imagination, and collectible potentials. Pei Lianzhi is good at using thick oils to pile up a third dimension of the painting, depicting the landscape of ponds and forests diffused with serenity and peace. Song Yonghua uses western oils to capture the ethereality characterized in Chinese ink painting, with distant mountains, wreathing mists and pines in well-proportioned shade of colors. The emerging artist Liu Fei instills humanity into the cold machines in his still life painting, very eye-catching. Xu Wenyong’s rural realistic paintings are thoughtful and poetically tranquil. Tan Jianwu exquisitely infuses modern sentiments into his classic portraits. Recipient of Silver Prize of Sichuan Watercolor Competition, Chen Li is adept in depicting the culture and people of Chinese ethnic minorities. Thomas Leung’s oil paintings, blending oriental and western elements, emit special vitality from magical transmissions between color gradations and lusters. Reputed as “Oriental Pollock,” Ceng Qunce won the Golden Prize for Creativeness at the International Art Exhibition of Louvre Museum and Special Prize from French Salon of Arts. With architecture as the painting motif, Chen Jun utilizes lines and Chinese painting’s composition structure to illustrate both the imagery and the abstract. Chang Tiezhong is versed in oil paintings and pen sketches, adding the power of lines to his exquisite composition, and vividness to his improvisational touch. Deng Guosong draws on temples to express his contemplation of Buddhist Zen and the beauty of serenity. Other participating artists include Xu Sha, Wang Zhaoju, Zhang Yuying, Wang Dazhi, Zhang Shiying, Yi Huizhao, Tu Jianguo, Yigu Zhangli, Lily Li, Lin Lishan, Yin Yi, and Zhang Zhiyuan.
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. Among them, the international famous ink maestro, Lee Chi-Mao, illustrates the poetic flow of line and shape, truly magnificent and distinguished. Chu Pei-Chen, Taiwan’s living national treasure in folk art, uses figural expressionism to illustrate his observation and deep feelings of the world surrounding him, natural and social. Hsu Tung-Lung brings calligraphic aesthetics to his artwork that emanates a distinct oriental charm. Blending eastern ink elegance into a western art style, Wei Chi-I’s paintings are both literary and melodic. Liao Mei-Lan uses a freehand style and diverse media to expand the horizon of the ink painting. Lawrence Lu Tsung-Tsan draws on Taiwan’s daily life in the early days to capture the sensibilities that are modern and yet nostalgia with his casual strokes. Wang Wen-Cong, awardee of the Bronze Prize of French Salon of Arts in 2014, paints with deep affection in watercolors.
Ma Sing Ling and their respectful master Lee Sun-Don introduce their joint creation, the Qi Series, illustrating the idea that “the great form is beyond form”– this was also the series open to pre-order during last year’s A.R.T. GOGO Yu translates her whimsy sensibility and sentiments of childlike innocence via profuse, rich colors. Yachi Lai pays homage to Chang Dai-Chien with her splash ink paintings; pets and leopard cats under her paintbrushes are so comforting. Luna Chen is especially gifted for depicting a romantic fairytale atmosphere, sweet and charming. Small Sa develops a caricature style of her own characterized with smooth arc lines, exceptionally well-coordinating color blocks, and the portray of “big hand” as a symbol of giving caring love. To discover more talents, the A.R.T. also cooperates with National Hsinchu Living Arts Center to exhibit Huang Fan and other winners’ artworks selected from the “Diamonds in the Rough” event. In this section, exhibiting artists include also Liu Wei-Tsen, Yu Ren, Yao Yuan, David King, Smart Lin, Pan Peng-Ping, Kuo His, Liao Jih-Ing, Chang Kai-Yung, Chen Li-Wei, Mickey Huang, and others.
International Artist Grand Prize Competition 2017
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 4207 entries by artists from 77 countries to enroll. There are 236 pieces chosen for A.R.T. 2017, including those created by the world’s established artists. Ivan Lardschneider is a sculptor exhibiting at the Syrian Pavilion in the 54th Venice Biennial. Gregoire A. Meyer is a French artist winning Gold Stellar Art Award and International Photography Award for three years in a row. Louise Giblin from Great Britain was selected into the Florence Biennale in 2015. Marianic Parra has been selected into the French Salon of Arts for many times. Dunadi is a famous Indonesian sculptor for monuments.
The enrollments this year come from five continents of the world, each demonstrating unique local characteristics and culture flares. All chosen works are exhibited at the A.R.T. 2017, of which 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. 2018.
Art and Design
To integrate art into daily life, A.R.T. specially invites GP DEVA, an international boutique group, to organize this section. To add new value to the original artworks and draw inspiration from the traditional cultural heritages, GP DEVA presents aesthetics-imbued merchandise in various aspects. This year, the limited edition of canvas bag featuring “Magic Fortune Lady/Discovering Treasures,” a joint-work by Lee Sun-Don and Luna Chen will be introduced. More choices for artistic power bank are also available and dazzling jewelry will be displayed.
Art Your Compassion
To link art with philanthropy and promote public interests in collecting art, A.R.T. invites hundreds of 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 Taiwan Fund for Children and Family, an NGO that dedicates itself to award needed children and their families with welfare and benefits.
The participants for Art Your Compassion have done their best to create works in creative ways, and these works, based on previous experiences, shall be claimed not long after the sale begins. This year, the participating celebrities include, just to name a few: Wang Chien-Ming, American Major League Baseball player; Yang Dai-Kang, Japan’s Yomiuri Giants baseball player; Chou Chun-Hsun, go chess champion; Kenneth Hou, Director of KOJEN Language Schools; Antonio Su, Chairman of HoTai Development; Lin Bo-Rong, Honorary Chairman of Taiwan Fund for Children and Family; Cheng Wen-Tsan, Mayor of Taoyuan City; Wei Ming-Ku, Magistrate of Changhua County; Sun Yun-Yun, Art Director of YUN YUN SUN; Mickey Huang, Emil Wakin Chau, Jam Hsiao, Bo-Lin Chen, Lan Hsin-Mei, Plungon and many others. More participants will be posted on the A.R.T. website.
“Art Your Compassion” Charity Sale
Date & Time: 12:00～15:00, April 14 (Fri.), 2017