Poised to draw extraordinary attention worldwide from the arts community, Taiwan artists will exhibit impressive works this year at the Setouchi Triennale, an international art festival held every three years in the Setouchi region of Japan.
The festival will kick off on April 26, having drawn 39 international teams to sign up. Among them are Taiwanese artists Lin Shuen-long (林舜龍) and Wang Wen-chih (王文志). The Taiwan-based Vocal Asia Festival, which is currently the largest a cappella event of its kind in Asia, has also been invited to stage concerts at the triennial event from August 9 through 12.
Setouchi Triennale is an iconic art festival in Japan that is listed among the cultural activities under the Beyond2020 Program of the Tokyo Olympic Games. Inspiring Taiwan artists to participate in the 2019 arts festival is part of the Ministry of Culture's efforts in bringing Taiwanese arts to the Olympic stage via the Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo.
Known for his "Beyond the Border (跨越國境)" series at the triennial festival, Lin is a long-time participant who will showcase his latest piece christened "Beyond the Border — Wave (跨越國境‧波)" on Shōdo Island this year as an extension of the "Child of the World (世界的孩子)" installation he prepared for the 2016 edition of the festival.
Lin will construct the latest artwork out of bamboo grown on Shōdo together with local villagers and Taiwanese volunteers. The teamwork from harvesting bamboo to creating art will underscore how the affinity between Taiwanese and Japanese people transcends language barriers.
Wang has been invited as artist-in-residence at Shōdo by each edition of the Setouchi Triennale since the festival debuted in 2010. This year, Wang's work — "Love in Shodoshima (小豆島之戀)" — will be a co-production of Shōdo islanders, volunteers from Chiayi in southern Taiwan, and Australian bamboo arts studio Cave Urban. The work will reflect the festival's goal of transforming the Seto Inland Sea into a "Sea of Hope" by restoring the vigorousness of the ocean.
Co-organized by Taiwan's Vocal Asia and the Kagawa Prefecture government, the 2019 edition of the traveling Vocal Asia Festival will offer a cappella competitions, master classes, international forums, and concerts at the Setouchi Triennale. Vocal Asia will also help organize the festival’s closing concert and hold several events on outlying Japanese islets under the banner of "Songs for the Islands."
Taiwan singers Hsieh Wu-wei (謝宇威) and Sangpuy (桑布伊), and Taiwan bands Semiscon Vocal Band (神秘失控人聲樂團) and Voco Novo A Cappella Group (VocoNovo爵諾人聲樂團) will also be performing at the 2019 Vocal Asia Festival in Kagawa Prefecture to help elevate the visibility of Taiwan's arts and music. See the full list of a cappella events here: https://vaf.vocalasia.com/concert/.