Overview

Engagement and Exchange

For this study tour, we received generous support from C-LAB in coordinating with the institutions we visited. On the first day, we visited C-LAB, where we were given a presentation on its programs, a tour of its facilities and exhibitions, and a studio visit with artists participating in its residency program. In the evening, C-LAB hosted a networking reception that brought together Taiwanese art professionals and the Japanese participants. Despite the approaching typhoon, the event was attended by curators and artists not only from Taipei but also from neighboring cities, providing a valuable opportunity for exchange and networking.

From the second day onward, each institution we visited arranged opportunities for dialogue and interaction with directors, deputy directors, curators, and researchers. We were also given tours of exhibitions and facilities. At the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, we were introduced to an advanced storage system for managing artworks. At C-LAB and the National Taichung Theater, we encountered cutting-edge examples in the field of art and technology.
Our visit also coincided with exhibitions at Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Center of Photography and Images that featured works and photographic records from the Japanese colonial period. These exhibitions offered participants, many of whom specialize in modern and contemporary art, valuable access to significant works and archival materials held by Taiwanese museums.

Looking ahead, NCAR remains committed to offering ongoing opportunities for professional exchange through future Study Tours. By cultivating deeper relationships among art professionals both in Japan and abroad, we aim to enhance Japan’s presence and contribution to the global art community.

* We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Hong-Gah Art Museum, Liang Gallery, and artist Hsu Chia-Wei for accommodating us despite itinerary changes caused by the typhoon. We also deeply appreciate the flexibility and support of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei.

Voices from Participants

“What left a strong impression on me was the high standard of both the storage facilities and the staging areas at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. In addition to the use of facial recognition systems for rigorous access control, I found it especially informative that the museum is considering the introduction of a new storage system with artwork tracking capabilities, as an alternative to the conventional barcode-based inventory management. As the number of works in the collection continues to grow each year while human resources remain limited, there is concern that traditional management methods may no longer be sufficient. I intend to closely follow the progress of such new efforts that utilize cutting-edge technology.”
— Endo Miyuki, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum

“At the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the National Center of Photography and Images (NCPI), I had the opportunity to engage with curators responsible for the collection and exhibition of photographic works, and to exchange views on our respective goals and areas of interest. Notably, it became clear that the core of both institutions’ photography collections centers around Deng Nan-Guang, a prominent Taiwanese photographer. This discovery provided an important clue for future research. Additionally, it was confirmed that the collections include many works by photographers such as Peng Rui-Lin, who, like Deng Nan-Guang, studied in Japan during the period of Japanese rule in Taiwan and was deeply involved with trends in Japanese photographic expression. Going forward, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the intersections of history and the development of photography in Taiwan through the investigation and study of these photographic collections.”
— Kobayashi Sayuri, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

“The exhibition Too Loud a Solitude: A Century of Pathfinding for Eastern Gouache Painting in Taiwan at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum was especially memorable. The exhibition focused on ‘Eastern gouache painting’ from the Japanese colonial period to the present day. While it corresponds to the Japanese genre of ‘Nihonga,’ in Taiwan even the terminology itself prompts diverse discussions. It was a well-curated exhibition that traced the complexities of art history through outstanding works. The effort to present a comprehensive selection of representative works while also providing an accessible narrative for a broad audience was evident. As a curator of modern art, I found it to be an exhibition full of valuable insights.”
— Morikawa Monami, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art

“I had heard that C-LAB shares many similarities with the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM], an institution I am affiliated with, so being guided through the facility by its staff was a valuable experience. I was struck by the diversity of expression and wide range of technologies used by Taiwanese artists participating in their residency program. At the National Taichung Theater, I learned that young artists are supported through mentoring programs led by pioneers in the field of art and technology. I also found it noteworthy that the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts regularly holds digital art exhibitions. These experiences gave me insight into how Taiwan is incorporating immersive media such as VR and AR into its cultural policy. This visit gave me a strong sense of potential for future collaboration between C-LAB and YCAM.”
—Takeshita Akiko, Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media [YCAM]