Fresh Art

3 Contemporary Taipei Galleries
--- By Darren Hassan Translated by Kiki Wu

Contemporary art is driven by ideas, giving it a quirkiness and curiosity that traditional arts lack. While painting still has its place, contemporary work is dominated by photography, video, installation and performance art. MOCA and TFAM are great museums, but galleries offer the chance to meet artists personally at openings and learn more about the subtle ideas behind their work. This month, Taiwan Fun brings you to three of Taipei's best galleries for fresh art.

IT Park
Mr. Liu's IT Park Gallery and Photo Studio has been presenting the contemporary art in Taipei since it opened in 1988. The second and third floor gallery space hosts established local and international artists. For a great evening, stop by IT Park for an opening and finish the night at VT salon (a new B1 club run by video artists, one block away).
June 2-20: - Zheng Shu Li, Venice Biennale veteran presents sculptural installation.
July: Takahiko Suzuki, Japanese conceptual installation artist presents photographic interventions in the urban landscape.

Shin Leh Yuan (SLY) Art Space
"New Paradise" Art Space is an artist-run co-op opened in 1995 and showcases its emerging artist members. The art is often more raw than what you'll see at IT Park, but that's what keeps it fresh and exciting. SLY is at the end of Lane 11, near LinSen Park.

Taipei Artist Village (TAV)
TAV has a residency program with international artists staying for up to three months. Visual artists, musicians, dancers, thespians and writers all present works and lectures, with an emphasis on community-based projects and interaction with the public. The nonprofit Taipei Culture Foundation has run TAV for over two decades.
June 24-25: Open Studio: workshops, fun activities and a chance to meet the resident artists in their studios