The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain and the Town Hall of Burlada will jointly hold a calligraphy exhibition "From Tradition to Modernity," showcasing 26 pieces of Taiwanese calligrapher Tu Chung-kao's (杜忠誥) master works at the Casa de la Cultura in Burlada in Navarre of the European country from Nov. 3 to 28.
Curated by the Spain-based art critic Diana Chow (周芳蓮), the exhibition is set to cast light on the artistic achievement of Tu, who is one of very few calligraphers in Taiwan that master all five main calligraphy styles: semi-cursive, cursive, clerical, seal and standard scripts.
The Changhua-born calligrapher, known for incorporating the thousand-year-old art form with contemporary arts, held an M.A. from Japan's University of Tsukuba and PhD from National Taiwan Normal University. Since the early 1970s, Tu has held a number of exhibitions in Australia, Japan, South Korea, the U.S., and other countries.
The renowned artist is recipient of the esteemed National Award for Arts (國家文藝獎), Chung-shan Art and Literature Award (中山文藝獎), and Wu San-lien Literature and Arts Award (吳三連文藝獎). In 2016, the artist was bestowed the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon by then-President Ma Ying-Jeou.
Through the exhibition, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain seeks to introduce viewers in Spain the beauty of calligraphy.
Having lived in Spain for nearly 25 years, Chow has gained familiarity with the country's cultural and educational communities. In addition to her occupation as a professional Mandarin language lecturer, Chow has been keen to promote arts and culture and her articles and commentaries can be seen in main arts-themed magazines and publications.
The exhibition has been made possible by the Spotlight Taiwan Project launched by the Ministry of Culture, which aims to promote international cultural exchanges and cultivate a greater appreciation of Taiwan's culture worldwide.