New Location, New Look, Same Cool Vibe: WombBloc Arts

By Don Quan Translated by Annie Liu
Photos by A-Fang

0912-712-602
248, HePing 1st Road, 3F (above Crown Coffee, near President Department Store)
Hours: Tue-Sun 3-10 pm
(closed Monday)

Kaohsiung's original art space/music venue has moved! After one successful year of operation, WombBloc Arts has relocated to a bigger space to better accommodate local artists, designers and musicians.

Conceptualized by Chloe Hsu, WombBloc began operating in June of 2006. After listening to many artists and musicians lament about the cultural and artistic desert that is Kaohsiung, Chloe decided to establish a venue where artists could express themselves and share their creations. She says, "I knew I could create a better artistic and cultural atmosphere for many people." In the past year, WombBloc has had at least one indie-music show per month, featuring some big names from Taiwan's underground scene, as well as up-and-coming musicians. The venue has also hosted rotating exhibits from young artists, painters, photographers and designers. There have also been numerous screenings of independent films by local and foreign filmmakers and performance art/dance shows.

Because of the unexpected popularity of the venue, WombBloc relocated to a bigger facility just a stone's throw from the old spot. There is now a significantly larger stage area, more exhibition space, a retail desk for CDs and art and, most importantly, a much larger seating area for guests. A recording studio is currently under construction. The program format will continue to be the same, but Chloe hopes to do some projects involving interdisciplinary arts, as well as more events with a social agenda (like this year's concert to raise awareness of the Lo Sheng Sanatorium situation).

The whole operation is a non-profit entity, and the entire support staff (designers, sound engineers and photographers) works strictly on a volunteer basis. Their only agenda is to provide much-needed exposure to the artists and musicians who are otherwise ignored in the south.

- Check out http://www.lofi.url.com.tw/womb/ for a complete schedule of upcoming exhibits/shows.