The 2026 Taichung ChingShui Art Festival (臺中清水走走藝術季) has opened in grand style. From June 27 to August 2, eight installation artworks are on display at Gaomei Wetlands (高美濕地), Gaomei Lighthouse (燈塔園區), and the Yuliao Historic Houses Area (魚寮古厝區). Among them, "SKATER JOHN", located at the entrance to the boardwalk, is a hugely popular IP created by Japanese illustrator Masataka Shibata, whose charming design has won widespread affection. Everyone is warmly invited to visit Qingshui and experience a summer feast where nature and art come together.

Ching-Ping Hsiao, Chief Secretary of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, stated that the art festival is theme “ Between Water and Wander (粼波微步)”. It brings together popular Japanese illustrator Masataka Shibata, Malaysian visual creator Wong Jason (黃覺深), and Taiwanese artists Ding Chien Chung (丁建中), Wu Chien Yi (吳芊頤), Lin Chien Chih (林建志), Liao Lin Li (廖琳俐), and Zhang Chia Wei (張家偉) to create eight installation artworks. The themes span wetland ecology, the rhythm of the tides, wind shaped landscapes, and memories of coastal settlements, all in the hope of offering visitors an unforgettable summer art experience.

The Cultural Affairs Bureau noted that "JOHN" comes from New York and embodies a free spirited and unpretentious soul. Carrying a surfboard, he arrives at Gaomei Wetlands to enjoy the summer coastline and sunset, and now and then playfully hides in the alleyways, hoping to cross paths unexpectedly with visitors. In addition, the festival has invited Qingshui based artist Wu Chien Yi to present "Sea Breeze and the Royal Ship (海風佮王船)". Through artistic intervention in the space, the work reinterprets the royal ship faith and temple motifs of Wenxing Temple (文興宮), responding to local cultural memory and history while also bringing new vitality to the old house area.

Within the Gaomei Lighthouse area, artist Liao Lin Li presents "Recurrence of Light (光的回返)", in which translucent blue acrylic and aluminum pieces shimmer and flicker in the sunlight, echoing Taiwan’s only red and white striped lighthouse. Malaysian visual creator Wong Jason also presents the photographic work "Between Us and the Sea (與海之間)", which captures through close visual details the everyday moments of wetland patrol personnel, tour guides, local industry workers, and students from Ching Shui Elementary School (清水國小), portraying the most genuine and moving vitality of the coastal area.

To connect the different exhibition zones, the work "Finding Limbo(尋找粼波)" transforms geometric waves into the playful character Limbo, guiding visitors through the settlement’s alleyways. It also turns the exterior wall of the Gaoxi branch campus of Taichung Municipal Qingshui Preschool (清水幼兒園) into Limbo’s stage, highlighting the distinctive character of the school and the spirit of the site. In addition to the static exhibition, the festival also includes a variety of art workshops, ecological guided tours, and online point collecting activities during the event period, inviting the public to visit Gaomei Wetlands in Qingshui during the summer vacation.