Exhibitions discussing the origins of contemporary art in Taiwan always pinpoint its origins to the Japanese colonial era. The arrival of the Japanese in Taiwan brought with it established cultural norms. Within the field of contemporary art this meant the influence of Western-style painting such as impressionism. Japanese art took on a new meaning, with Western influences coming to dominate aesthetics. Aspiring and wealthy artists would travel to the West, particularly Paris, to study Western-style painting there. The industrialization and modernization of Japan drew inspiration from the West, and saw the changing of cultural norms. The traditional yukata, for example, was replaced by Western clothing for daily fashion. These new trends were also transferred to Japan’s colonies, including Taiwan, which saw dramatic changes during Japanese rule, Taipei was reconstructed, everyone had to speak Japanese and change their names to Japanese ones.
The influential Taiwanese Cultural Association was established to pursue Taiwan’s enlightenment and freedom, pushing for a Taiwanese parliament under Japanese occupation. It also emphasized cultural progress, supporting the ‘first’ generation of artists in Taiwan who studied styles popular in Japan from the 1940s to 1920s. No art schools were established in Taiwan. The artworks produced by the artists who travelled abroad resemble popular western styles, yet, their subject matter often appears very local to Taiwan with traditional homes, temples and scenery. These events raise big questions, though. Does the arrival of Western styles to Taiwan mark the origins of contemporary art making in Taiwan? Worldward: The Transformative Force of Art in Taiwan’s New Cultural Movement at Taipei Fine Arts Museum places its narrative firmly in this history. Art in Taiwan arrived with the civilizing mission of the Japanese, establishing familiar styles that were known globally.
Firstly, its important to trace back Taiwan’s population. The very first ‘colonizers’ of Taiwan originated with seafaring people from Polynesia. Taiwan’s original population is indigenous, who brought with them traditional craft and art styles. Subjugation in the face of later colonization meant that these skills were seen as inferior to hegemonic styles of the Dutch (1622-), Spanish (1626-), Chinese(1633-) and Japanese (1895-1945), whose writings of the established history overlook these groups. Despite this, surely indigenous art counts as an important moment in the history of art. Does their work not truly represent Taiwan’s peak creative moment?
Do exhibitions like this imply that there was no art until the civilizing colonizer, with his art styles popular with the wealthiest in town? What happened to hundreds of years of rule by Qing China? Why is the Japanese way the one that is accepted by curators of Taiwan’s art history today? It all comes down to Japan’s decolonization. Soon after the war, Japan became a US protectorate, and the allies dealt with their previous colonies. Japan was far removed and could not confront their atrocities of the war. Meanwhile, Taiwan was returned to China, and following their loss of the Chinese civil war the KMT arrived in Taiwan. They brought suppression and fear with them. Following the modernization and industrialization of the Japanese era, this treatment seemed pretty off. Now, memory relating to the colonial era perceives Japanese colonization as a nostalgic time, in which Taiwan was able to further develop its identity.
The exhibition in TFAM features works that were exemplary of their era reminiscing an idyllic Taiwan though a Western lens. The curatorial technique thematically divides the artwork based on subject matter, from competitions to women to modernity. There is less of a local sense to these categories, despite the content of the work digressing from its Western-Style in the local nature of its subject matter. Local scenery, traditions and women are depicted in the paintings. This exhibition is certainly representative of significant moments in Taiwanese contemporary art, representing iconic Taiwanese imagery. But should it be placed as THE defining moment in Taiwanese art history? What is missing in this narrative?
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