Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture

Comments on the Finalist 

Through the conceptual lens of “from nowhere to now here,” the curatorial team re-reads the various historical periods, ethnic territories, individual memories, and economic activities along Taiwan Route 3. The exhibition encompasses a geographical area that includes twelve townships and villages respectively in four counties and cities. Collaborating with dozens of artists/art groups, they conduct residency-based research and carry out art projects in situ. The team also thoroughly teases out and reflects on relevant issues in this art festival hosted by the local government. Working with the artists through discussions to co-develop their projects, the works unfurl rich textural layers. Through the residencies and the artworks in situ, interactions and sharing between artists and local creative teams are made possible, and a new approach to narratives through creation emerges. Even after the art festival ends, some of the artworks continue to exert their artistic power locally. (Commentator: LIN Yi-Hsiu)

Artwork Introduction

The theme “from nowhere to now here” not only features the geographic characteristics of the inner mountains and everyday scenes of the Hakka life but also points to the unique fluidity emerging from the diverse and intermixing ethnic groups and their migratory culture along the Taiwan Route 3, responding to people’s actions and rates of multi-progression in the low-elevation mountain regions that have shaped the complex and abundant life history involving the Taiwan Route 3. The exhibition comprises four subtopics – “Low-elevation Mountain Ecology,” “Intermixing Ethnic Groups,” “Fluid Memories,” and “Pathways of the World.” Thus, it unfurls untold multi-narrative threads to sociologically address deep-seated differences and explore the various aspects of the Taiwan Route 3, including its plural histories, the unseen contemporaneity of the Hakka community, the cultural anecdotes crossing the past and the present, and the codependent ecosystems in nature. 

About the Artist

Eva LIN (chief curator) is now the art director of mt.project. With a core commitment to cultural sustainability and sharing, mt.project aims to find opportunities for integration and breakthroughs in different forms and practices of art. They seek to connect international and local artists, creators, thinkers, and professionals from various fields, promote contemporary art, and deepen humanistic thinking. While working towards realizing the social value of art and public action, they also seek to fill the gaps in hidden spiritual and cultural knowledge with the objective of bringing about a more sustainable and enriched cultural landscape for the public.

MINATO Chihiro (co-curator; b. 1960, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) is a renowned photographer, art critic, visual anthropologist, university professor, and curator. 

TSOU Ting (co-curator) holds an MA in Cultures of the Curatorial from the Academy of Fine Arts in Leipzig, Germany, and is currently a doctoral candidate at the same school. Her recent curatorial and research activities focus on the cultures of the curatorial and exhibition history, their interdisciplinary and contemporary aspects, and archive studies. 

FENG Hsin (co-curator) concentrates on sound art, new media art, and the development of contemporary exhibitions and performances in Taiwan in recent years.

Production Team

Chief Curator｜ Eva LIN

Co-Curators｜Chihiro MINATO、Ting TSOU、Hsin FENG

Project Administration｜Shinyih TSAI

International Artist Exhibition Production｜Ingrid HUANG

Technical Team｜Future Pass Creative Inc  

International Affairs Coordination｜Lu MengHsun 、Saki ITO

Exhibition Support｜Chieh-Hsin LEE、yu hsuan WU 、Ching CHU、Hao–An TSAI        

Cover Photography | Cody COBB

Visual Design｜Yi-Chin LAI

Promotional Design｜Onejin LAI

Photography Team｜YUNGLUN HSU

Videography Team｜Lane 216 East Production Studio

Hakka Language Guidance｜Hsiang Jen WANG

Japanese Translation｜Oguriyama Tomo

English Translation｜Liang-Jung Huang 

Artists

Ai Chin RAO

Hidemi NISHIDA

Chuan-Kai LIN, Judy CHANG, Chia-hung LEE, Di-Hao CHANG

Candice JEE

Ting-Yu LIANG

Kawayan de GUIA

Chien-Wei LIU

Hsiangfu CHEN

Jia-Jhen SYU  

Chi-Yuan PENG & Musquiqui Chihying

Chihhung LIU

Yunyu Ayo SHIH x Ultra Combos

Ya-Chu KANG

Tsai YEH & I-TING HOU

Sakyou

Sow Yee AU x Yow Ruu CHEN

Po-Chieh CHANG

LIBERA WORK-GANG  

Sayun CHANG 

hewen a ta:in tawtawazay  

Weed Day

Kugenuma 

Tzu-Ni HUNG 

Working Hard  

Masao OKABE 

Zhanna KADYROVA  

Hiroko KUBO

Chien-Chung LIAO  

Loudly Lightning  

Cody COBB 

Juan FORD        

Jo-Mei LEE

Yuan-Hong LO

Teng-Chi YANG( Manbo Key )      

Wei-Chen CHEN

Gina HSU        

Jr-Shin LUO

Iming Mavaliu 

Chialing CHANG

Julio GOYA

Wei-Lin HUNG, Chuan-Kai Lin, Chia-Hung Lee

Ya-Wen TANG

Aya RODRIGUEZ-IZUMI

The Romantic Route 3 Art Festival 

Organizer｜Hakka Affairs Council, Taoyuan City Government, Hsinchu County Government, Miaoli County Government, Taichung City Government.

Co-organizer｜ Dongshi Forest District Office, Forestry Bureau, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Taiwan Design Research Institute

Local Collaboration｜ Longtan District Office, Guanxi Township Office, Hengshan Township Office, Zhudong Township Office, Beipu Township Office, Emei Township Office, Sanwan Township Office, Nanzhuang Township Office, Shitan Township Office, Gongguan Township Office, Dahu Township Office, Zhuolan Township Office, Dongshi District Office.

Chief Planning｜Hakka Public Communication Foundation, Left Brain.

Business Partners ｜CPC Corporation, Taiwan FamilyMart Co. Ltd., Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation, Hwa-Hsia Glass Co., Ltd., LE BLE D’OR F&B Co., Ltd., SESN Co.

Special Thanks｜General Assembly of Chinese Culture, Taiwan Visitors Association, LINE.

Local Partners｜Taiwan Route 3 Art School.

Public Welfare Partners｜Leopard Cat Association of Taiwan.

Media Partners｜tien faˊ, Hakka News, Hakka Radio.

Curatorial Team｜OKAF , Harvest Ideation, Grand Vision Co., Ltd.

Travel and Transportation Coordination ｜JWI Marketing

Volunteer Coordination｜Migratory Creation

Visual Coordination｜Bito

Special Issue Production ｜The Affairs Medium Ltd.

Website Production｜ Nature Spirit Design Co., Ltd.