Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

The Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture is established with the vision of its founder, Thomas Wu. Today, the Taishin Arts Award has become the most iconic award in the Taiwanese contemporary art community. With the glory conferred by the Award, innumerous artists, who have been nominated and won the Award, have gained the energy to continue their artistic work, while enhancing their visibility in the international art scene. Through the selection and promotion of the Award, more space and possibility have been engendered for Taiwanese artists. 

Moreover, the Foundation has devotedly engaged in the communication between art and society. In order to expand the boundary of art for the public, the Foundation has founded ARTalks, an online platform which facilitates and fosters exchange between artists and the general public. Meanwhile, the seasonal nominations and comments on individual nominees are published on the website to construct a site of theoretical discourses and discussions, offering the public more entry points to understand artistic creation. Through long-term collaboration with radio stations, the Foundation has also produced engaging interaction and comprehensible talks about artistic topics on the audio media to form an alternative connection between artists and the society. 

The Foundation is devoted to foster interaction between the corporate employees and the community by planning a proactive role in realizing Environmental Social Governance (ESG). In terms of facilitating social diversity through quality education and cultural literacy, the Foundation has also endeavored in various programs, including lunch concert, art exhibitions at the lobby of the corporate headquarter, arts and cultural courses organized for the employees, workshops, interactions with schools, and promotion of arts and cultural events, to highlight the connection between art and life. The Foundation also works with the Taishin Charity Foundation to launch and engage artists in charity events as a way to support sustainability in innovative ways. 

Contemporary art comprises dialogues about the world, people, and self-improvement. The Foundation upholds our principle of establishment – “support superb contemporary art to demonstrate Taiwan’s cultural vibrancy” – to realize the spirit of “seeding, nursing, sharing” to fulfill the social responsibilities and cultural missions of a private corporation. Through the Taishin Arts Award, the Foundation has striven for observing, reviewing and subsidizing the creation of Taiwanese art. In addition to introducing the illuminating Taiwanese contemporary art into the global creative and cultural scene, the Foundation hopes to enrich Taiwanese people’s lives with more creative vibrancy and imagination of sensibility through the promotion of art. Indeed, there is still much to work for in the future. The Foundation is determined to progress with the times, and do our best for the precious Taiwanese society. 

Simon Cheng

Chairman, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture