Date | 11.15.2025-03.29.2026
Veune | Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest
Curator | Krisztina Szipőcs, Hu Yung-Fen
Organizers | Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest
Co-organizers | Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government, Taipei Culture Foundation, MoCA TAIPEI
Text-MoCA TAIPEI
The exhibition at the Ludwig Museum presents an overview of artistic developments on the island – and, indirectly, of the experiences and dilemmas that shape Taiwan’s past, present, and future.
The selection features the works of twenty internationally recognized artists and collectives who address important topics such as the cultural heritage of indigenous people, the lingering traces of colonization, Taiwan’s turbulent and often traumatic history at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the evolution of modern Taiwanese identity and values, and the technology-based economy and society of the present and future. The exhibited works are extremely diverse in terms of genre: in addition to installations, interactive projects, videos, and animations using the most innovative technologies, visitors can also encounter archaic techniques, paper works, paintings, and sculptures.
Taiwan could be compared to a modern vessel navigating the open sea – equipped with the most advanced technology, yet repeatedly facing elemental forces and storms that drive it into dangerous waters and test its resilience. Although it may seem geographically remote to European audiences, the waves stirred by these tempests soon reach our own shores in today’s interconnected world – through trade conflicts, competition for resources, and ideological or military tensions. Within this shifting landscape, the preservation of cultural and natural values, critical reflection on history, and the building of a resilient, democratic, and diverse society based on solidarity are shared ideals that connect Taiwan and Europe.
The exhibition is organized around five interwoven thematic sections: “The Beautiful Island” – Indigenous heritage, natural environment and cultural traditions; “Parallel Histories” – the colonial past and its imprints; “Turbulent Histories and Traumas” – the upheavals of the 19th and 20th centuries; “The New Taiwanese Identity” – modern democracy and contemporary values; and “Taiwan Today and Tomorrow” – modernization, economic progress, and new technologies. These themes guide visitors from Taiwan’s past into its present, where layers of history and culture converge and project multiple visions of the future.
About Yang Mao-Lin's works |
Regarding the two works, The Lasting Spring．Clouded Leopard, Flower, Bird, Insect and Fish 2 and The Lasting Spring．Black Bear, Lily and Zeelandia L2301, Yang Mao-Lin expresses feelings and emotions through the theme “The Lasting Spring,” as time passes and as his temperament matures, although the artist has accumulated much worldly experience, his sentiments and care for Taiwan have never disappeared, nor have his adventurous spirit, quest, and fervent passion for artistic creation.
In The Lasting Spring series, Yang brings back the images of species in Taiwan, which he has used in his previous art series. The most eye-catching plants in these works are Formosa lily, Easter lily, fairy lily, and slim-stem lily. The animals that are depicted the most are the clouded leopard, the Asian black bear, the Eastern grass owl, and the hundred-pace viper, along with other endemic animals in Taiwan. These beautiful, mesmerizing animals roam the land of Formosa at ease in a space as pure and ethereal as a fairyland.
The artist also delineates vessels and fighter jets with military flags that have invaded Taiwan in different eras, and even fictional starships from the Star Wars movies. Collectively, they speak about the history of Taiwan – an island at the center stage of geopolitics that has formed its unavoidable fate. Through his art, he participates and speaks out, responding to the era he lives in and leaving a testimony for the land of Taiwan.
In the work The Lasting Spring, Yang continues the style from his early works, blending anime characters with divine figures. By merging subculture with mainstream culture, he constructs a narrative that invites viewers to walk around, observe intricate details, and interpret layered meanings. The work employs multi-layered wood carving and painting to interweave history, nature, and faith. The base features illustrated scenes from Taiwan’s history alongside endemic species, echoing the historical figures and traditional imagery subtly woven into the backdrop, and gradually unfolding a narrative that interlaces Taiwan’s past and present.
Clouded Leopard of Formosa and Black Bear of Formosa presented in this exhibition continue this narrative framework but mark a departure from the hybrid aesthetic of anime and divine figures. Instead, they feature Taiwan’s native creatures as the central figures. Like guardian deities, they stand solemnly at the center of the stage, no longer mere observers but gazing back at our gaze. They carry Yang’s profound affection and cultural identity for this land, responding to the ever-intersecting field of fate that lies between history and the present.
Glittering Soul．Taiwan bitterling and Submarine L2501 is one of the The Glittering Soul series,
featuring endemic freshwater fish from Taiwan’s streams, such as Taiwan bitterling, silver minnow, paradise fish, and half-stripes barb. They are not merely the main subjects in the paintings; they also carry the artist’s childhood memories and represent the starting point of his artistic creation. As a child, he often skipped class, taking his homemade fishing rod to the streamside, where he would sit for an entire day, just to catch a glistening silver fish. Those fish, shimmering with vibrant scales in the sunlight-dappled stream, were truly dazzling. Taking freshwater fish as main subjects again today is not simply nostalgia for the past, but more importantly, an act of self-reflection. They radiate vibrant vitality and awaken his consistent passion and energy for artistic creation.
In these serene scenes, submarines quietly traverse or stand still, concealing a sense of unease and crisis. The coexistence of fish and submarines intertwines childhood innocence and contemporary circumstances, and it also reflects Taiwan’s complex situation in history and geopolitics. These seemingly gentle scenes, in fact, contain latent power and confrontation, reflecting his unchanging affection and care for the land of Taiwan.
