The 13th edition of the annual Taiwan Arts Festival will take place in Hong Kong from Oct. 11 to Nov. 20 to present a series of performances, exhibitions, and forums that showcase the colorful voices and inclusive values of contemporary Taiwan.
"Hybrid" forms the core of the Taiwan Arts Festival this year. In this program where the classic meets the avant-garde, art forms and text and media collide and blend, highlighting the cross-platform innovations of Taiwan's diversified art scene.
Highlights of the 2018 Taiwan Arts Festival in Hong Kong include a retrospective exhibition by esteemed photographer Chang Chao-tang; a live cinema event by soundtrack artist Lim Gong; an art exhibition by comic artist Ah Tui; a multimedia theater production by Dance Forum Taipei; and lectures by noted writers Jan Hung-tze, Li Ang, and Wang Tsung-wei.
National living treasure Yang Song King, master of a form of Taiwanese ballad singing and oral storytelling known as liam kua, will also hold a special performance at the Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Center on Oct. 26 and 27.
Lin Sheng-xiang, a Hakka musician famous for his environmental awareness, will hold an unplugged concert with band member Ken Ohtake. The one-night special will be held the Fringe Club on Oct. 18, while the bands Constant & Change and Shallow Levee shall make a much-awaited appearance on the lawn of West Kowloon Cultural District on Nov. 11.
Auteur Tsai Ming-liang and actor Lee Kang-sheng will also curate "I Sing While Walking," a two-day program of film screenings, performances, and songs on Nov. 15 and 16. This sensory feast of lavish imagery and music will take place at the Prison Yard of Tai Kwun, Hong Kong's leading cultural venue that opened earlier this year.
The flagship production this year is "Sunlight after Snowfall," a multimedia performance comprising symphony, Peking opera, opera music, and theatrical performance on Nov. 10 and 11. This crossover of traditional opera of the East and symphonic music of the West will be the first-ever collaboration of world-famous Taiwanese conductor Chien Wen-pin with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, GuoGuang Opera Company, and Taipei Philharmonic Chorus.
Read the full program of this wonderful and exciting mix of performances and events here. May this iconic Taiwan-themed cultural festival continue to grow and give back to the people of Hong Kong and Taiwan.