New Taipei City Art Museum Exhibition Audio Guide

As you enter the exhibition space, a giant ceiling fan looms overhead. Doesn’t it look both familiar and a little out of place? While reading about visual artifacts generated by AI, the artist was reminded of the fan in his old home. Left without care for years, its blades slowly swelled and warped in the humid air—much like the glitches and strange distortions you see in AI-generated images. Recreated from the artist’s memory, the fan now rotates at an almost imperceptible speed. Standing beneath it, do you feel the quiet weight of stagnation or fatigue, the kind that makes you pause and face reality? This slowly turning fan captures a state of mind: tired and discouraged, yet still functioning, despite the challenges life throws our way.

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If this ain’t Ai, don’t make me Bi.

2026.01.17-04.12

｜Artists｜ Ciou Zih-yen, Ni Hsiang, Feng Chih-ming, Chien Chih-feng

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/en/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2512001

The artist collective You Don’t Know Me At All was founded in the summer of 2015 by a group of young artists passionate about contemporary art. Their practice responds to Taiwan’s historical, political, and everyday realities through remaking, performance, sound, and video installation. Working from the perspective of the Other, they explore contemporary life in its many forms. In recent years, their focus shifts toward the changes in their hometowns and their own formative experiences, prompting a renewed reflection on the relationship between contemporary life and the individual. This exhibition is a collaboration between Ciou Zih-yan, Ni Hsiang, Feng Chih-ming, and Chien Chih-feng, developed with creative partner Chang Li-ren.

In Tidal Installation, various found objects and modified items are suspended from a truss on the ceiling. When things usually seen on the floor are moved overhead, you might begin to wonder: what is the subject of the exhibition? And what is the background? This inverted display challenges our usual expectations of what an exhibition should be, and how it is meant to be seen.

Set between Taiwan’s North Coast and Japan’s Hokkaido, the work brings together images, home videos, and street interviews, as well as popular subjects and memes drawn from news and social media. Through personal visits, the artists rethink the connections between local settings, tourism, consumption, and souvenirs. The work transitions between day and night modes. In day mode, the space resembles a factory, or feels as if the exhibition has yet to open, challenging the viewer’s assumptions. When placed alongside different narrations of Emotional Universes by Feng Chih-ming, the work reconfigures the relationship between sound, image, and space.

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If this ain’t Ai, don’t make me Bi.

2026.01.17-04.12

｜Artists｜ Ciou Zih-yen, Ni Hsiang, Feng Chih-ming, Chien Chih-feng

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/en/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2512001

Skilled in sound design, Feng Chih-ming transforms sound technology into an almost hallucinogenic medium. Mapping a field through hypnotic sounds, he guides the viewer into a heightened perceptual world. Space is reconfigured by audio systems positioned throughout the environment, producing an enveloping surround soundscape. As you stand within the space, sound seems to flow and move, altering your perception of spatial relations.

The artist further integrates speaker units into a kinetic installation, transforming what was once intangible into a perceptible medium. Sound is no longer just something you hear, but a palpable presence in the space. What does it make you feel? As sound continues to operate within the environment, paired with the multi-channel video of Tidal Installation and its varying narrations, the viewer’s emotions rise and fall through their engagement with the imagery.

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If this ain’t Ai, don’t make me Bi.

2026.01.17-04.12

｜Artists｜ Ciou Zih-yen, Ni Hsiang, Feng Chih-ming, Chien Chih-feng

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/en/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2512001

In the final section, Yin Zi-Jie’s Tissue reemerges. The artist traces the origin of tissue paper by visiting artificial forests in Indonesia. In the exhibition space, paper tubes with diameters matching the harvested trees are arranged according to the spacing of such plantations. This setting prompts us to reflect on how a single sheet of paper may represent the loss of an entire forest.

Meanwhile, viewers can experience Yannick Dauby’s Upstream Meanders in the same space, which includes several chapters of sound recordings representing sounds gathered along his journey from Xindian to Yingge. The upstream symbolizes retracing the origin. Traveling upstream means reflecting on the past as well as understanding habitats. Through the interplay of sound and installation, this work evokes a sense of shelter.

Finally, Hsu Ting’s Particles by the Window series is displayed in a space filled with flowing natural light. She starts in her studio, capturing fleeting dust particles illuminated by sunlight, viewing them as a source of inspiration. At the same time, her studio is like a small ecosystem that sustains her everyday life.

These three artists collectively respond to the subtheme, “Satoyama,” by creating metaphors that highlight the strong bond between humanity and nature. Although fear persists, we have always found protection through healing. Architecture, born from the need for safety, also reminds us to understand and address the fear and healing of others.

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The Architecture of Fear and Cure

2025.10.04-2026.01.25

｜Curator｜ROAN Ching-yueh

｜Artists｜YIN Zi-jie, Boonserm PREMTHADA, WU Tseng-jung, WU Yao-tung, MATSUDA Kazuhisa, HUNG Hao-chun, HSU Ting, FU Chang-feng, Divooe ZEIN, FCHY Architect Lab, LIAO Wei-li, Yannick DAUBY, CHEN Donghua, Kay Ngee Tan Architects, LAI Po-wei, KU Shih-yung

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2508001

As you move to the next section, you will encounter two large-scale installations. The first is The Unfinished Distance by Singapore-based architectural firm Kay Ngee Tan Architects. Echoing the subtheme “The Law of Architecture,” this work uses square structures to explore how we perceive and experience the transition of spatial distance, inviting viewers to feel the changes of the work in space.

The next work is Thai architect Boonsorn Premthada’s Medicine Chapel. Since ancient times, Thailand has cultivated a rich tradition of herbal healing. The chapel features a semi-enclosed space made with dried pluang leaves, blending medical symbolism with spiritual elements. As visitors enter the installation, they will encounter a dim, tranquil atmosphere filled with a pervasive scent, experiencing how architecture has accompanied humanity from fear to healing.

Further ahead is the section “The Shape of Shadow,” curated by Chinese architect Chen Donghua. This section focuses on architectural experiences in tropical climates as a starting point to examine the everyday and public nature of shadow in southern China. The section showcases typical southern living scenes, using shade as a spatial language to explore the distinct meaning of “locality” amid the waves of globalization.

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The Architecture of Fear and Cure

2025.10.04-2026.01.25

｜Curator｜ROAN Ching-yueh

｜Artists｜YIN Zi-jie, Boonserm PREMTHADA, WU Tseng-jung, WU Yao-tung, MATSUDA Kazuhisa, HUNG Hao-chun, HSU Ting, FU Chang-feng, Divooe ZEIN, FCHY Architect Lab, LIAO Wei-li, Yannick DAUBY, CHEN Donghua, Kay Ngee Tan Architects, LAI Po-wei, KU Shih-yung

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2508001

After moving past the “planet” and “air,” the next section on the right wall features works by Wu tseng-jung, an artist who shifted from architecture to painting. This exhibition includes five of his pieces related to architecture, such as his competition entry for the 228 Memorial Monument and a painting of the Taipei City Government. These works showcase his distinctive vision, shifting fluidly between painting and architecture.

On the left side of the section are two screening rooms, each showing a documentary: The first, Wu yao-tung’s The Journey—A film about Chen Kuen Lee features the life of the late architect Lee Chen-Kuen, with insights from five architects and scholars. The second, Fu Chang-Feng’s Deep Current – Architecture of Taiwan series examines the transformation of modern architecture in postwar Taiwan. This exhibition showcases the episode featuring architect Lee Chu-Yuan and his role in the evolving architectural landscape of power structure.

On display between the two screening rooms is Hung Hao-chun’s Plug-in Paradise. Inspired by the use of plug-ins and add-ons in traditional Taiwanese architecture, this work reflects on how, facing economic and spatial constraints, ordinary people have shaped a uniquely Taiwanese architectural culture.. Entering the work feels like stepping into the story of “The Peach Blossom Spring,” providing a healing experience that transitions from darkness to light.

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The Architecture of Fear and Cure

2025.10.04-2026.01.25

｜Curator｜ROAN Ching-yueh

｜Artists｜YIN Zi-jie, Boonserm PREMTHADA, WU Tseng-jung, WU Yao-tung, MATSUDA Kazuhisa, HUNG Hao-chun, HSU Ting, FU Chang-feng, Divooe ZEIN, FCHY Architect Lab, LIAO Wei-li, Yannick DAUBY, CHEN Donghua, Kay Ngee Tan Architects, LAI Po-wei, KU Shih-yung

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2508001

The following two works explore the subtheme, “The Law of Architecture,” starting with fundamental principles and perspectives on architecture. Next to The Cold Shot, the large-scale metal installation titled Architecture as Air is a work by FCHY Architect Lab, formed by Yang Hsiu-Chuan and Kao Ya-Feng. Inspired by the flow and permeability of air, they examine how invisible elements can be sensed through temperature, convection, and disturbance, and how it might be constructed into a collective presence between what exists and what does not.

On the other side of the canopy is architect Matsuda Kazuhisa’s The Planet of Nobody / Collective Unconscious. Inside this semi-translucent sphere, the artist draws inspiration from sand tray therapy, creating an environment that simulates storms and tremors. Visitors are invited to step into the planet to observe the interaction between individuals and groups in unstable conditions, while searching for the possibility of coexistence between self-interest and altruism.

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The Architecture of Fear and Cure

2025.10.04-2026.01.25

｜Curator｜ROAN Ching-yueh

｜Artists｜YIN Zi-jie, Boonserm PREMTHADA, WU Tseng-jung, WU Yao-tung, MATSUDA Kazuhisa, HUNG Hao-chun, HSU Ting, FU Chang-feng, Divooe ZEIN, FCHY Architect Lab, LIAO Wei-li, Yannick DAUBY, CHEN Donghua, Kay Ngee Tan Architects, LAI Po-wei, KU Shih-yung

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2508001

Stepping into the next section, you will be greeted by Yin Zi-jie’s Tissue. Using common tissue paper, she has created canopy-like installations. This series of works is scattered throughout the gallery, seamlessly blending with Yannick Dauby’s sound creations, collectively exploring the connection between life, nature, and industry chains through a rich, multi-sensory experience.

Walking past the canopy, you’ll see Liao Wei-Li’s* The Tender Span Between Time and Space—A Room of Mother's* on the rear wall. This series of pen sketches documents the artist’s visits to his ninety-six-year-old mother. Dozens of drawings capture his mother’s changes in everyday life and psychological states at different moments and from various angles, weaving a visual record of time’s passage. To the artist, his mother becomes the symbol of home—a sanctuary for body and mind—echoing the exhibition’s subtheme “Calling.”

Looking diagonally ahead on the wall, you will find Divooe Zein’s collection of objects gathered over the years from indigenous villages in Taiwan. These include hunting tools, ritual objects, ceremonial artifacts, and musical instruments. Each object not only originates from survival needs but also embodies a shared reverence for heaven and earth. His work, The Cold Shot, invites us to consider whether modern society still recognizes and continues the spiritual significance of such objects or if we only see them as material objects to admire.

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The Architecture of Fear and Cure

2025.10.04-2026.01.25

｜Curator｜ROAN Ching-yueh

｜Artists｜YIN Zi-jie, Boonserm PREMTHADA, WU Tseng-jung, WU Yao-tung, MATSUDA Kazuhisa, HUNG Hao-chun, HSU Ting, FU Chang-feng, Divooe ZEIN, FCHY Architect Lab, LIAO Wei-li, Yannick DAUBY, CHEN Donghua, Kay Ngee Tan Architects, LAI Po-wei, KU Shih-yung

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2508001

The exhibition begins with the “Ceremony” section. As you step into the gallery, the first thing that catches your attention is Lai Po-wei’s Parasitic Temples—an installation of hanging beadwork shaped like a temple roof. Lai has long explored these small temples in urban areas. Through field research, he carefully documents and categorizes them. The photos and materials on the walls present the result of his dedicated work over the years. The accompanying book on display provides a diverse and thorough examination of Taiwan’s micro religious spaces.

As you continue through the gallery, you might notice the sounds of drums from across the gallery. This work, Ku Shih-Yung’s* Echo*, features eight large stone images on the wall, each covered with a layer of stone powder and attached to drumsticks on pedals. You are invited to remove your headphones and step onto the pedals, feeling the drumstick’s impact on the canvas, which causes the stone powder to fall like dust. Meanwhile, the drumsticks also trigger sounds inspired by nature, such as birds singing, insects chirping, streams flowing, or thunder roaring. These sounds echo through the space like in a valley, revealing nature’s energy and evoking a sense of awe toward unknown forces.

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The Architecture of Fear and Cure

2025.10.04-2026.01.25

｜Curator｜ROAN Ching-yueh

｜Artists｜YIN Zi-jie, Boonserm PREMTHADA, WU Tseng-jung, WU Yao-tung, MATSUDA Kazuhisa, HUNG Hao-chun, HSU Ting, FU Chang-feng, Divooe ZEIN, FCHY Architect Lab, LIAO Wei-li, Yannick DAUBY, CHEN Donghua, Kay Ngee Tan Architects, LAI Po-wei, KU Shih-yung

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2508001

Welcome to the exhibition “The Architecture of Fear and Cure." This audio guide will lead you along the exhibition route to explore the exhibition space and the artworks.

The origin of architecture stems from our need for shelter. Like other living beings, humans depend on architecture to protect themselves from natural disasters, diseases, and threats. However, when fear and healing come together, it can create feelings of chaos and unease, as well as a desire for order and stability. These feelings are, in fact, fundamental aspects of life.

In modern society, this pursuit is often overlooked in architecture and cities. Instead, they often fall into what philosopher Georges Bataille described as a dilemma: the expansion of the self, the ultimate void, the scorn of the others, the thunderous shout, the gaze into the past ill-fated grandeur. This exhibition begins with this problematic and invites everyone to reflect together.

This exhibition is organized into four subthemes: “Ceremony,” “The Law of Architecture,” “Calling,” and “Satoyama.” With voices, visuals, and installations created by 16 architects and artists, let’s embark together on a journey of exploring the complex relationship between architecture and life.

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The Architecture of Fear and Cure

2025.10.04-2026.01.25

｜Curator｜ROAN Ching-yueh

｜Artists｜YIN Zi-jie, Boonserm PREMTHADA, WU Tseng-jung, WU Yao-tung, MATSUDA Kazuhisa, HUNG Hao-chun, HSU Ting, FU Chang-feng, Divooe ZEIN, FCHY Architect Lab, LIAO Wei-li, Yannick DAUBY, CHEN Donghua, Kay Ngee Tan Architects, LAI Po-wei, KU Shih-yung

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2508001