Go To Content
:::
Current Location Home > Main Tree > News > News
  • print
  • Go Back

Creating an Art Map of the City

「Open space 遊走城市的藝術計劃」第二場「中部藝術發展」
「Open space 遊走城市的藝術計劃」第二場「中部藝術發展」

Text.Wang Yu

 

Do you know about the artistic and cultural events that have taken place or are happening in the city?

 

Since April, the Taichung Art Museum has introduced “Open Space—Roaming the City Through Art”, an art project that encourages urban exploration. Through various walking tours and workshops, the project invites residents to uncover hidden art and cultural spaces in Taichung’s historical districts while connecting contemporary art spaces with historic sites. Participants can visit locations where artists live and work, enabling them to discover the relationship between artistic creation and the everyday streetscape through walking and listening.

 

A Walk Through the American Neighborhood and Artistic Labor

 

The inaugural event, titled “A Walk Through the American Neighborhood and Artistic Labor” was partnered with Carp Gallery, an intimate and experimental art venue housed in a repurposed residential building in Taichung’s West District. Starting from the gallery, artist Huang Guan-Jie, who held a solo exhibition at Carp Gallery in 2023, acted as the tour guide. Drawing inspiration from the creative context of his work, Huang guided participants to rediscover the seemingly ordinary streetscapes surrounding the gallery, which are imbued with exotic cultural memories.

 

This neighborhood, which begins at Huamei Street and includes Furen Street, Meiyi Swimming Pool, and loops back to Zhongmei Street and Meicun Road, has its origins in the 1950s when U.S. military forces were stationed in Taiwan. Responding to the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the United States launched the “Rest and Recuperation (R&R) Program,” transporting many troops from Vietnam to Taiwan for leisure and vacation. This historical context not only impacted road names but also shaped the streetscapes, characterized by chimneyed buildings, American-style gardens, open-air pools, bars, and restaurants. As visitors traversed the neighborhood, they observed architectural details that preserve a hint of foreign charm, envisioning the lives of U.S. soldiers during their time in Taiwan. Huang also encouraged them to perceive the streetscapes through an artist’s perspective, capturing the city’s rhythm and texture through elements of light, composition, and historical traces.

 

“A Walk Through the American Neighborhood” concluded at the Carp Gallery. The art project “Sangu Santu”, based in Taichung’s Wuri, drew from Measuring a Lentil, a work currently on view in the gallery’s exhibition, and led the participants to create art with natural plant pigments. The artists, drawing from their farming experiences, guided participants in understanding the joining of agriculture and art, immersing them in an everyday practice that emphasizes creativity as a daily activity intricately linked to life, land, and the body.

 

A Walking Tour Featuring Art Development in Central Taiwan

 

The second event, led by art historian Shen Yu-Chang, explored Taichung’s art history with the theme “Art Development in Central Taiwan,” guiding participants through sites and historical locations closely linked to the developmental trajectory of art in central Taiwan, spanning from the Japanese Colonial Rule to the postwar era. It began at the Taichung Bank’s Business Department (the former office building of Taiwan News) and proceeded along Ziyou Road, threading through city streets to visit seemingly ordinary places that may have once hosted art exhibitions, poets’ debates, or gatherings of intellectuals. Shen emphasized that art history encompasses not only the stories of artists and their works but is also intricately connected to the city itself. The emergence of modern art largely depended on the resources and information provided by the city: pigments came from trade, and inspiration arose during travels. Artistic creation could not be severed from publishing and exhibitions, while art has always required support from the economy and intellectual thinking. Consequently, the city plays a vital role in propelling artistic development.

 

Shen classified the sixteen locations visited into two main categories: finance and information. The finance category includes banks and economic institutions, while the information category encompasses printing (e.g., news agencies, libraries), gathering (e.g., religious spaces, entertainment venues), exhibitions, and public administrative offices. Connecting these locations makes it evident how a city establishes a foundation for artistic growth.

 

As the walking tour unfolded alongside an introduction to old photographs, a sense of temporal dislocation began to emerge around the city’s streets as well—this place was once an exhibition space for painters, that coffee shop used to host poets and painters who debated art, and today’s beverage shop was a significant venue for intellectuals to read foreign publications.. The developmental trajectories of art have woven into and continued through the city’s layers of memory.

 

During the latter part of the event, participants arrived at the Lin, Chih-Chu Memorial on Liuchuan West Road, where the Scenery JX (Jing-Xiang) presented a play reading of Peacock Café (孔雀咖啡廳). Inspired by the life of Eastern gouache painter Lin Chih-Chu, the script depicted the art scene from the Japanese Colonial Rule to the postwar era. The participants engaged in voice and movement exercises based on the director’s instructions, performing in groups within the Japanese-style dormitory that houses the memorial hall. Fictional characters were interwoven with real historical events, allowing the participants to experience the artist’s perseverance and creative tension during challenging times.

 

Art Walks: Recovering a Perceptual Rhythm in the City

 

“Open Space—Roaming the City Through Art” aims to provide alternative perspectives for understanding the relationship between the city and art development through in-depth guided tours, gradually creating an art map emblematic of this era. Upcoming events will include guided exhibition tours or hands-on art experiences led by artists, inviting citizens to personally experience how art engages in dialogue with urban life.

 

 

Further Information

 

Open Space—Roaming the City Through Art

Exploring Artists’ Everyday Footprints in the Old City—June 7, Depth Creative Strategy Studio × Liao Jui-Fen

Exploring Subcultural Spaces and Translucent Sceneries—June 14, Glitch × Lu Miao-Ying

Semi-Transparent Community Relations and Everyday Stage—July 26, YAO Space × Sara Wu

*For detailed information, please visit the Facebook page of the Taichung Art Museum.

Related pictures

  • Data update: 2025-06-11
  • Publish Date: 2025-06-11
  • Source: 387334000E
  • Hit Count: 65