The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA) will be holding the inaugural Taiwan International Light Festival and fringe exhibitions from Jan. 18 through March 1. The Taichung-based festival will display interactive audiovisual installations with lights to explore the interconnectivity among people, culture, and the environment.
The light festival will be showcasing the works of seven artists from Taiwan, France, Italy, and Japan. "Writing of Light" will be the festival's central theme, and the exceptional artists will present their works using a variety of media forms, including LED lights, metal, machinery, and moving images, to provide an eye-opening sensory experience with changes in movement and contrasts in light.
The festival will be set mainly outdoors, re-decorating the existing museum grounds of meadows, hills, and bridges for spectators to experience a different facet of NTMoFA. In addition to the outdoor installations, French-Taiwanese team Sondes A/V Duo will be displaying an indoor immersive piece titled "Echos." Through digital interpretation, "Echos" will provide viewers with a deeper understanding of Taiwanese art history from a different standpoint.
Vice Minister of Culture Lee Lien-chuan (李連權) remarked upon the Ministry of Culture's attentive promotion of cross-disciplinary creations, especially in the fields of culture, science, and technology in recent years. The festival is a great opportunity to present the nation's contemporary installation arts on the international stage and drive business to the central region of Taiwan, he added.
Italian artist Daniele Monteverde emphasized that the contrast of light and shadow of the installation pieces will streamline the hard and rigid outlines of the museum structure, and further illuminate the viewers' imagination and overall experience.
Additionally, the museum will also be hosting an international forum on Feb. 15, when the festival's curatorial team and installation artists will explore the issues of sound and light art innovation and urban marketing. This will be a conversation on integrating cultural and creative industries to develop local cultural festivals and increase participation from the general public.
Artworks on display will include:
• Italian artist Daniele Monteverde－Costellazione, Messaggeri delle stelle
• Taiwanese artist Yao Chung-han (姚仲涵)－Eastern District and An Electronic Monster #19
• Japanese artist Yasuaki Onishi－Edge of Void
• Taiwanese artist Ding Chien-chung (丁建中)－Floating Fragment
• Taiwanese artist Chuang Chih-wei (莊志維)－Gentle Swirl in the Forest
• Taiwanese design group Whyixd (何理互動)－Channels
• Sondes A/V Duo (French artist Sébastien Labrunie & Taiwanese artist Lu Yi 盧藝)－Échos
‘Writing of Light － 2020 Taiwan International Light Festival’
Date: Jan. 18 – Feb. 23, 2020
Venue: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts – Museum Outdoor Area
Location: No. 2 Wuchuan W. Rd. Section 1, Taichung City, Taiwan (ROC)
Hours: 5pm – 10pm (Closed on Mondays)
Site: www.ntmofa.gov.tw
‘Échos － Immersive Indoor Display’
Date: Jan. 26 – March 1, 2020
Venue: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts – 201 Gallery
Location: No. 2 Wuchuan W. Rd. Section 1, Taichung City, Taiwan (ROC)
Hours: 10am – 6pm (Closed on Mondays)
Site: www.ntmofa.gov.tw