New Taipei City Art Museum Exhibition Audio Guide

[The script of this episode]

During its preparatory phase, the New Taipei City Art Museum began to trace the history of experimental art in the 1990s, a chapter often described as “the greatest carnival of the late 20th century,” through publications, forums, and other initiatives. Relational Field emerges from this research-driven approach, focusing on the artistic practices at the Taipei County Cultural Center between 1992 and 1997, combining interviews and archival documentation with works by artists who were active in the 1990s and continue to make art today. Together, these elements re-map the artistic networks of that era, networks shaped by interdisciplinary collaboration and international exchange, and illuminate the avant-garde spirit that fueled them.

Beginning in 1992, the Taipei County Cultural Center drew public attention to local issues, such as environmental ecology and folk belief, through its exhibition themes and the reform of the Taipei County Art Exhibition. During this time, noise art also began to flourish, seeking to disrupt the social order. Critics have since dubbed this period the “wild 90s.” If 1980s art helped open a window on democracy and diversity in public space, then 1990s art sought to break free from systemic constraints by initiating a new dialogue with the environment, sound, and folk traditions, ultimately building a new cultural landscape rooted in local sensibilities.

This research exhibition offers a lens into the environmental trauma caused by river pollution, while highlighting the humanitarian concern intrinsic in artistic practice. From river basins to mountain ranges, Relational Field charts* Taiwan’s journey toward a form of self-naming th*rough an interdisciplinary approach, spanning archaeology, geology, geography, anthropology, and curating, as we reflect on the land that has nurtured us.

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Relational Field: The Cultural Landscape of New Taipei in the 1990s

2025.08.16-12.21

｜Curator｜ WANG Pin-hua

｜Artists｜ WANG Fujui, WU Mali, LIN Chi-wei, YAO Jui-Chung, KAO Jun-honn, HUANG Ming-chuan, LIU Chen-hsiang

｜Oral Archive Providers｜ Sisy CHEN, CHIEN Ming-hui

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2507001

[The script of this episode]

The timeline in front of you shows how, beginning in the 1990s, the Taipei County Cultural Center reformed its art exhibition system to emphasize environmentally reflective themes. These reforms encouraged artists to engage with social issues and environmental concerns, opening up broader, freer directions for artistic practice at the time.

Within the timeline section, you’ll find a map of the Tamsui River basin, including the Keelung River, Dahan River, and Xindian River. This map originally appeared in the 1993 exhibition catalogue View on the Tamsui River in 50 Years, curated by Chang Chao-tang and Liu Chen-hsiang. The exhibition featured photography related to the Tamsui River, and the map was printed across a full spread in the catalogue, marking the locations where the photographs were taken. It visually captured the cultural landscapes of the Tamsui River across different historical periods. Looking back today, this river basin map has come to symbolize the 1990s concept of a watershed-based cultural landscape.

Next, take a look at the brochures for the Taipei County Art Exhibition displayed in the case. These are from 1993 to 1997, and you’ll notice that each year brought subtle changes. The most significant turning point came in 1994, when the exhibition adopted the approach of responsible art critic. That year, the organizers eliminated the traditional classification by medium and the multi-judge evaluation system, replacing them with two categories: an open call and a special call. Art critics Lien Te-cheng and Ni Tsai-chin were invited to serve as jurors for each category, with Ni also curating the special call, which focused on environmental art.

This reform sparked heated debate at the time. In response, a group of young artists even organized an alternative Exhibition of Artworks Rejected by the Taipei County Art Exhibition, calling on all rejected applicants to join the exhibition as a form of protest, questioning the legitimacy and fairness of the newly reformed system.

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Relational Field: The Cultural Landscape of New Taipei in the 1990s

2025.08.16-12.21

｜Curator｜ WANG Pin-hua

｜Artists｜ WANG Fujui, WU Mali, LIN Chi-wei, YAO Jui-Chung, KAO Jun-honn, HUANG Ming-chuan, LIU Chen-hsiang

｜Oral Archive Providers｜ Sisy CHEN, CHIEN Ming-hui

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2507001

[The script of this episode]

What prompted the series of reforms at the Taipei County Cultural Center beginning in 1992? One of the key figures was Chien Ming-hui, the project officer from the Museum Division of the Taipei County Cultural Center at the time. Back then, the title “curator” did not yet exist. But Chien was an important driving force behind this avant-garde exhibition program.

He introduced a number of innovative changes: reforming the Taipei County Art Exhibition system, appointing art critics as curators, inviting experimental artists outside the mainstream to present their work, and highlighting diverse forms of artistic practice. The complete photo album of the 1995 Taipei County Art Exhibition is on view in the display case, along with press coverage reflecting both praise and criticism. These materials are part of Chien’s carefully assembled archive. He also invited a photographer and a documentarian to capture the exhibition in photography and video. These visual records offer a glimpse into the atmosphere of that time. The video on display stands as evidence of Chien’s commitment to reform.

Although his official position was that of a government project officer, Chien Ming-hui had long been an exhibition organizer and a dedicated arts professional. He built horizontal connections across public and private institutions, non-profit organizations, and alternative spaces, working tirelessly to weave together a professional network grounded in Taiwanese contemporary art.

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Relational Field: The Cultural Landscape of New Taipei in the 1990s

2025.08.16-12.21

｜Curator｜ WANG Pin-hua

｜Artists｜ WANG Fujui, WU Mali, LIN Chi-wei, YAO Jui-Chung, KAO Jun-honn, HUANG Ming-chuan, LIU Chen-hsiang

｜Oral Archive Providers｜ Sisy CHEN, CHIEN Ming-hui

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2507001

[The script of this episode]

The 1995 Taipei County Art Exhibition continued responsible art critic, with Lin Hsin-yueh curating Resurgence on the Tamsui River. By 1997, Shih Jui-jen had assumed the formal role of curator for the 8th Taipei County Art Exhibition, using the image of the river as a maternal figure to evoke a shared origin of Asian civilizations. His curatorial vision brought together artists from across East Asia for this exhibition in Taipei.

The archives in the display case offer a glimpse into past editions of the Taipei County Art Exhibition, featuring materials such as contracts, selection notices, open call agreements, invitations, promotional materials, artist manuscripts, and fieldwork documentation. On full display are the challenges encountered when artworks were planned to be relocated from indoor to outdoor settings. Some artists even created works by organizing events. It is worth noting that the organizers of the 1997 Taipei County Art Exhibition included public sector bodies and private arts organizations, including alternative spaces. The exhibition venues extended across Taipei City and Taipei County.

Looking back on the art scene of the 1990s, we see a deep concern with and reflection on environmental issues. The works from that era lay bare the ecological wounds left by river pollution. Today, artists continue to create in response to the land, walking into river basins and mountain forests, as they delve further into the often-invisible social fabric that underpins our contemporary cultural landscape.

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Relational Field: The Cultural Landscape of New Taipei in the 1990s

2025.08.16-12.21

｜Curator｜ WANG Pin-hua

｜Artists｜ WANG Fujui, WU Mali, LIN Chi-wei, YAO Jui-Chung, KAO Jun-honn, HUANG Ming-chuan, LIU Chen-hsiang

｜Oral Archive Providers｜ Sisy CHEN, CHIEN Ming-hui

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2507001

[The script of this episode]

Between 1992 and 1996, the Taipei County Cultural Center organized a special event each year: the Zhongyuan Pudu Religious Arts Festival. More than just an ordinary temple gathering, it was a pioneering celebration that brought together religion, art, and pressing social issues.

The planner of the first edition was Sisy Chen, who founded the Girl’s Shrine Folk Culture Studio to organize the event. In the video shown here, she recalls how the traditional rituals were reimagined to strengthen their relevance to modern society for the 1992 edition. Alongside customary pudu rites such as street parades and water lantern ceremonies, the event featured workshops where elementary schoolchildren and minority groups were invited to create their own lanterns and express their artistic visions, bridging ritual with everyday life. Sculpture workshops for county residents, as well as public dance and theater performances, further expanded community participation.

The chief executive of the second edition was Ho Tian-tian, with Liu Chen-hsiang serving as the official photographer. This 1993 edition, titled Pudu of the Tamsui River, mourned the river’s lost spirit, polluted and neglected over the years, likened to Taiwan’s largest wandering ghost. Organized by Li Chi’s Folk Art Studio, the third through fifth editions continued with customary pudu rites, alongside film screenings, theater performances, and art exhibitions held in riverside containers. The 1994 edition, themed Modern Hell, evoked the emptiness and chaos of urban life, while the 1995 edition centered on humanitarian concerns, serving as a rallying cry for urgent social issues.

The five editions of the Religious Arts Festival, in hindsight, were part of a trailblazing experiment. More than an arts festival, it was a cross-disciplinary collective action. Participants included artists, social activists, local temples, and the public. What remains striking is how the concept of pudu extended beyond the traditional act of relieving and redeeming wandering spirits. It was reimagined as a public action aimed at society and marginalized communities. Ultimately, it became a response to the reality of Taipei County and its migrant population, fostering a more inclusive sense of belonging.

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Relational Field: The Cultural Landscape of New Taipei in the 1990s

2025.08.16-12.21

｜Curator｜ WANG Pin-hua

｜Artists｜ WANG Fujui, WU Mali, LIN Chi-wei, YAO Jui-Chung, KAO Jun-honn, HUANG Ming-chuan, LIU Chen-hsiang

｜Oral Archive Providers｜ Sisy CHEN, CHIEN Ming-hui

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2507001

Roaming Around the Ruins I – The Civilization Built by Skeleton

1996

Gelatin silver prints

42 x 60 cm / each, 36 in total

Collection of New Taipei City Art Museum

Roaming Around the Ruins – The Civilization Built by Skeleton & Paradise Lost

1992-2001

Giclée prints

150 x 100 cm / each, 9 in total

Single-channel video (color, sound)

15’00”

Posters

60 x 85 cm

[The script of this episode]

The series of works you see here is Roaming Around the Ruins – The Civilization Built by Skeleton by Yao Jui-chung. Begun in 1991, the project spanned 14 years, during which the artist traveled across Taiwan to photograph abandoned spaces and buildings. Most of these ruins were left behind due to industrial relocation, such as the Songshan Cigarette Factory in Taipei, the Sintung Sugar Factory in Dulan, Taitung, or former export processing zones that once flourished but were eventually shut down.

The nine pieces on view here were selected by the artist specifically for this exhibition. Taken between the 1990s and 2000s across what is now New Taipei City, the works portray deserted landscapes from the Shuinandong Smelter in Ruifang, a sewage treatment plant in Bali, the UFO Houses in Sanzhi, to Hongludi in Zhonghe and the Zhenzhuling Amusement Park in Linkou. Each site tells a decades-old story that invites reflection. Through the artist’s lens, the ruins are no longer merely derelict buildings, but silent archives that prompt us to consider why these places fell into decay, and what industries once thrived there.

Yao began his journey of climbing Taiwan’s 100 Peaks when he started a mountain climbing club in college. This also marked the beginning of his photography series on ruins, in which he documented large, abandoned buildings on the urban fringes and in remote mountain areas. These desolate ruins, like cautionary tales, or relics left behind by the passage of time, transport us beyond temporal and physical limits to historical scenes of social change, industrial decline, and labor migration, all seen through his humanitarian lens.

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Relational Field: The Cultural Landscape of New Taipei in the 1990s

2025.08.16-12.21

｜Curator｜ WANG Pin-hua

｜Artists｜ WANG Fujui, WU Mali, LIN Chi-wei, YAO Jui-Chung, KAO Jun-honn, HUANG Ming-chuan, LIU Chen-hsiang

｜Oral Archive Providers｜ Sisy CHEN, CHIEN Ming-hui

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2507001

[The script of this episode]

When we talk about noise art in the 1990s, one of the most important sites is the coffee shop Sickly Sweet. Run by Wu Chong-wei, this tiny space was more than a café. It was a key gathering place for people in the arts and literary circles. Once the venue for the Exhibition of Artworks Rejected by the Taipei County Art Exhibition, Sickly Sweet frequently hosted visual art shows, experimental video screenings, theater, and alternative music performances. On view in the display case are menus, flyers, and photos of the shop’s interior, which showcase a strong aesthetic of handcraft, collage, and reinvention, reflecting the rock spirit of the time. Zero and Sound Liberation Organization, the first noise art group formed after the Wild Lily student movement, was a regular performer at Sickly Sweet. The media coverage displayed on the wall captures the sense of shock and sorrow in the arts and literary circles when the coffee shop announced its closure.

Walking to your right, you’ll see a network of noise art on the wall: zines, demos, performances, and letters exchanged by noise artists from 1993 to 1995 that gradually linked Taiwan to the international art scene. Members of Zero and Sound, Lin Chi-wei, Liu Hsing-i, Steve Chan, and Liu Poli, responded to a monotonous social system and growing urban pollution through noise art and intense physical experimentation. Around this time, Wang Fujui launched Noise, the first publication in Taiwan to focus on both local and international experimental music. Zero and Sound’s debut cassette tape was also featured in Noise. Wu Chong-wei, whom we mentioned earlier, was not only the owner of Sickly Sweet, but also an alternative artist active throughout the 1990s. He organized the Taipei Broken-Life Festival and Taipei Breaking Sky Festival by the river, two landmark sites for noise art performance. With friends, Wu also cofounded New Formosa Art Festival I: Taipei International Post-Industrial Art Festival, a pivotal event that connected Taiwan with the global noise art network. The Pots Weekly published an extensive, in-depth feature on the festival, which stood in stark contrast to the sensationalist headlines found in mainstream media coverage.

Walk alongside the wall and you’ll find a timeline of noise art after 1995. Lin Chi-wei and Wang Fujui remained active in the scene as artist and organizer. Zero and Sound continued to host performances until the group disbanded in 2000. Notably, Liao Ming-he, also known as Dino, was once involved in the scene. By the late 1990s, noise art had clearly begun shifting toward electronic sound. Around this time, Wang Fujui returned from studying in the U.S., and began producing sound art and experimental video under the alias Ching-Shen-Ching. As the first artist to incorporate noise art into sound installation, he also played a key role in organizing sound art festivals, helping to foster the practice in Taiwan.

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Relational Field: The Cultural Landscape of New Taipei in the 1990s

2025.08.16-12.21

｜Curator｜ WANG Pin-hua

｜Artists｜ WANG Fujui, WU Mali, LIN Chi-wei, YAO Jui-Chung, KAO Jun-honn, HUANG Ming-chuan, LIU Chen-hsiang

｜Oral Archive Providers｜ Sisy CHEN, CHIEN Ming-hui

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2507001

[The script of this episode]

Welcome to Reimagining Radical Cities. Data from the United Nations shows that over half of the world’s population lives in urban areas today. This underscores urban issues as a pressing concern. The exhibition Reimagining Radical Cities begins with the rise of modern cities and reconsiders them from the perspective of the Global South by asking: In this era of globalization, how can we understand our history, address current challenges, and envision future possibilities?

The exhibition opens with imagery of cities that are both familiar and unusual, featuring ordinary objects from the streets and daily life that typically go unnoticed, such as a transformer, a stray dog, a grab bucket used in construction projects, and even a fallen satellite. Liao Chien-chung utilizes strikingly lifelike sculptures to create a narrative that stretches from daily life to urban infrastructure, even reaching into outer space. His work reveals both the visible and hidden aspects of urban issues.

The sizable mural adorning the wall is created by Joiri Minaya. She combines tropical plants with traditional Hakka floral fabrics to trace and depict nearly 80 years of Taiwan-Dominican Republic relations. Through interviews with key figures and Taiwanese immigrant families in the Dominican Republic, Minaya unveils local stories obscured by time and represents how shifting international relations have influenced people’s lives and urban landscapes.

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Reimagining Radical Cities

Time│2025/04/25-2025/09/07

Venue│NTCAM: 6A, 6B, 8F Gallery

Curator│HSIEH Feng-rong, Amy CHENG

Artist│Engineering of Volcano Detonating, Print & Carve Dept., JUN Sojung, Eisa JOCSON & Venuri PERERA, Joyce HO, HO Rui An, Your Bros. Filmmaking Group, WU Mali, WU Chuan-lun, HOU I-ting, HOU Lulu Shur-tzy, YAO Jui-lan, Musquiqui Chihying, Elom 20ce, Gregor Kasper, ZHANG XU Zhan, CHANG Chien-chi, Haegue YANG, Michael RAKOWITZ, Joiri MINAYA, HUANG Sun-quan, Rinus Van de Velde, VANDY Rattana, LIAO Chien-chung, JEONG Geumhyung

More Details: https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2503003

[The script of this episode]

This section opens with a 1997 exhibition titled Lord of the Rim: In Herself / For Herself and features two key pieces from that exhibition, highlighting the labor dynamics shaped by the global division of labor.

Hou Lulu Shur-tzy’s Labors and Labels I captures the daily experiences and work scenes of female laborers through photography. These are combined with cotton threads that are integral to their lives to portray their labor. Wu Mali’s Stories of Women from Hsinchuang embroiders stories of female textile workers onto fabric. The blurred text, barely perceptible in dim light, serves as a metaphor for their lack of visibility in society. The sound of sewing machines in the video reflects the relentless rhythm of their life. Hou I-ting’s latest work, developed for this exhibition and titled Revisit the Edge of Basin, responds to the themes of the 1997 exhibition, explores the bodily memories of female laborers, and further highlights the challenges faced by non-typical workers in contemporary times.

Expanding on the discussion of labor issues, Print & Carve Dept.’s The Transformation utilizes comics to illustrate workers' living conditions. This work draws inspiration from Maquilapolis, a documentary featuring life in the maquiladora regions along the US-Mexico border. Moving forward, you will find Chang Chien-chi’s photographs of undocumented immigrants in New York’s Chinatown and their families back home. A comparison of their images reveals stark contrasts in living environments, expressions, and postures. Through these artworks, we invite you to reflect on how the formation of global industry chains and their changes impact workers’ lives.

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Reimagining Radical Cities

Time│2025/04/25-2025/09/07

Venue│NTCAM: 6A, 6B, 8F Gallery

Curator│HSIEH Feng-rong, Amy CHENG

Artist│Engineering of Volcano Detonating, Print & Carve Dept., JUN Sojung, Eisa JOCSON & Venuri PERERA, Joyce HO, HO Rui An, Your Bros. Filmmaking Group, WU Mali, WU Chuan-lun, HOU I-ting, HOU Lulu Shur-tzy, YAO Jui-lan, Musquiqui Chihying, Elom 20ce, Gregor Kasper, ZHANG XU Zhan, CHANG Chien-chi, Haegue YANG, Michael RAKOWITZ, Joiri MINAYA, HUANG Sun-quan, Rinus Van de Velde, VANDY Rattana, LIAO Chien-chung, JEONG Geumhyung

More Details: https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2503003

[The script of this episode]

The previous section focused on human labor and living conditions. Now, we shift our perspective to “things”—objects and materials themselves—and the stories they tell. Wu Chuan-lun’s Derived Pottery features decorative ceramic figurines collected from around the world. While similar figurines from different regions may appear distinct in shape and color, they are often transient products shaped by diverse cultural influences. Yao Jui-lan’s The Secondary Copper examines the copper smelting industry in New Taipei City’s Jinguashi, Jiufen, and Shuinandong regions. The work deconstructs the economic and political roles historically attributed to copper, instead focusing on its mineral properties and the environmental changes triggered by climate change. Ho Rui-an’s Lining illustrates the rise and decline of Hong Kong’s textile industry. You will find out that the development of Hong Kong’s textile industry closely mirrors that of Taiwan. This piece also echoes a viewpoint that this exhibition aims to convey: Within the currents of global economic capital, countries in East Asia have, one after another, experienced labor-intensive production, technological advancements, and the outsourcing of industries and capital. This reflects the changes in the global industrial supply chains and the ongoing conflicts among different regional economic entities.

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Reimagining Radical Cities

Time│2025/04/25-2025/09/07

Venue│NTCAM: 6A, 6B, 8F Gallery

Curator│HSIEH Feng-rong, Amy CHENG

Artist│Engineering of Volcano Detonating, Print & Carve Dept., JUN Sojung, Eisa JOCSON & Venuri PERERA, Joyce HO, HO Rui An, Your Bros. Filmmaking Group, WU Mali, WU Chuan-lun, HOU I-ting, HOU Lulu Shur-tzy, YAO Jui-lan, Musquiqui Chihying, Elom 20ce, Gregor Kasper, ZHANG XU Zhan, CHANG Chien-chi, Haegue YANG, Michael RAKOWITZ, Joiri MINAYA, HUANG Sun-quan, Rinus Van de Velde, VANDY Rattana, LIAO Chien-chung, JEONG Geumhyung

More Details: https://ntcart.museum/EN/exhibition/H2503003