Chinese Name: 洪根深美術館
Address: No.15-1, Minzu Rd., Magong City, Penghu County, Taiwan
Website: https://www.phhcc.gov.tw/home.jsp?id=10143
Did You Know That… ?
To honor the artistic achievements and contributions of artist Hung Ken-shen (洪根深), the Penghu County Government transformed a historical building into the Hung Ken-shen Art Museum. The museum aims to become a significant hub for ink wash painting, fostering the development of contemporary ink wash art in the region.
Located beside the Penghu Tianhou Temple (澎湖天后宮), the oldest Mazu temple in Taiwan, the Hung Ken-shen Art Museum building bears rich historical significance. Constructed during the Qing dynasty over three hundred years ago, it originally served as a government office and magistrate. During Japanese rule, it was repurposed as the Penghu Prefecture Military Police Office. Following World War II, it became the base for the Transportation unit of the Penghu Defense Command. In 1995, two of the Japanese-style dormitories were demolished and replaced with a two-story reinforced concrete building. In 2002, the Penghu County Government officially designated this site as a historical monument.
The Hung Ken-shen Art Museum emerged from the county government’s initiative to promote its iconic International Fireworks Festival. It came into existence through the collaborative efforts of several Penghu County magistrates, Cultural Affairs Bureau directors, and legislators. The transformation of the historical building into a modern art museum not only enriched cultural tourism in the region but also symbolized the cultural pride of Penghu, serving as a model for other cities and counties nationwide.
Born in 1946 in Husi Township (湖西鄉), Penghu County, Hung Ken-shen (洪根深) is a renowned contemporary ink wash painter from Taiwan. He pursued his fine arts education at National Taiwan Normal University (國立臺灣師範大學) and later returned to Penghu to teach at Makong Junior High School (馬公國中) after he graduated from the university. After a year, he relocated to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan, where he taught at Kaohsiung Municipal Taren Junior High School (高雄市立大仁國中), Kaohsiung Municipal Kaohsiung Senior High School (高雄市立高雄高級中學), and National Kaohsiung Normal University (國立高雄師範大學). Hung Ken-shen’s most notable contributions lie in contemporary ink wash paintings and his leadership in the modern art movement in Kaohsiung, which led to the establishment of the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts. Hung is regarded as a significant figure in ink wash art, and his works are housed in various museums across the country.
In 2019, Hung donated nearly two hundred pieces of artwork and a significant portion of his book and artifact collection to the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Penghu County. This generous contribution sparked discussions within the local government about the potential establishment of an art museum. However, determining the museum's location proved challenging, leading to several changes before settling on the former Penghu Prefecture Military Police Office. Due to the historical significance of the compound, it underwent a meticulous five-year-long restoration process. The government embraced this endeavor as a means to honor the cultural heritage and create a platform for promoting Taiwanese ink wash painting.
In addition to his exceptional talent as a painter, Hung also holds significant roles as an art movement leader, an advocate for art education, and a distinguished art curator. Emphasizing the breadth of his contributions, the museum invited several emerging ink wash painters, including Lu Fu-shou (盧福壽), Hung Shang-hsiang (洪上翔), Shr Wang-chen (石忘塵), and others, to participate in the inaugural exhibition titled “The Evolution of Ink Wash Painting (墨問―水墨創作風格趨向展)” and underscored Hung’s pivotal role as an educator. The exhibition showcased how Hung’s influence shaped the trajectory of ink wash painting in the country, transitioning from modernism to post-modernism.
Since its inauguration, the Hung Ken-shen Art Museum has organized several special exhibitions, presenting portraits of modern and contemporary ink wash paintings through the integration of mixed media and digital media installations and virtual reality technology to create mesmerizing realms. In the future, the museum strives to host exhibitions featuring modern ink paintings from both sides of the strait and emerging talents in domestic contemporary ink wash, in order to promote Penghu's well-established ink wash painting repertoire to the international stage.