A Virtual Contemporary Art Exhibition of Taiwan-Japan Transnational Exchange
Overview
Taiwan NOW is a transnational collaborative art project centered on artistic expression, aiming to deepen the goodwill and peaceful relations between Taiwan and Japan through diverse, comprehensive, and unique cultural perspectives. The program encompasses visual arts, performing arts, music, and design. During the pandemic, the team at NAXS Studio created a virtual exhibition venue, leveraging innovative digital platforms to explore new possibilities in artistic expression and bringing Taiwan’s cultural narratives to audiences in Japan and around the world.
Category
Online Experience
Art Direction
Year
2021
Starting from the curatorial concept, the NAXS Studio team deconstructed and restructured the complex framework of the original physical exhibition. The final design materialized as a central hall accompanied by three themed exhibition spaces dedicated to video art, theater, and music, ensuring both artistic diversity and an immersive experience.
Lobby: A Cross-Cultural Convergence
As the entryway to the virtual exhibition, the Grand Hall is not only the audience's first encounter with the space but also a symbol of Taiwan-Japan cultural fusion. Inspired by the spirit of "The Flower of the People," the hall’s design features flowing white curves, with a central digital petal installation symbolizing vitality. Surrounding the hall are interactive installations displaying floating blessings and messages from Taiwan and Japan. Visitors can freely browse these messages, each accompanied by dance performance videos designed by "Small Matters Production," adding a layer of emotional resonance to digital interactions. The hall has three doors leading to different themed exhibition spaces, inviting visitors into a multidimensional artistic exploration.
The Screening Hall: The Kuroshio Current and the Flow of Images
Curated by the Taiwan Digital Art Foundation, the Screening Hall showcases works by prominent Taiwanese video artists, with spatial design by NAXS Studio. The concept integrates the imagery of the Kuroshio Current, petals, and islands, creating a dynamic and organic digital environment. This space features a unique real-time lighting mechanism that mirrors real-world time changes, offering visitors a different atmosphere at each visit. Floating in the air, massive digital screens display curated video art pieces on a schedule, allowing audiences from around the world to gather on a virtual island and experience the communal resonance of moving images.
Virtual Theater Hall: A Ritualistic Dreamscape
The Theater Hall hosts "Abolan," a collaborative work between Japanese contemporary artist Miwa Yanagi and three major Taiwanese opera troupes—Hsiu-Chin Opera Troupe, Chun-Mei Opera Troupe, and Ming Hwa Yuan Tianzi Opera Company. Rooted in the concept of "psychogeography," audiences embark on a ritualistic and dreamlike journey through an immersive digital environment. Directed by Chang Hung-Tai, with music composed by Tseng Kuo-Hung, the production integrates point cloud scanning technology to capture Taiwan’s mountains, temples, and streetscapes in intricate detail. These elements are then rendered in real-time through cloud technology, allowing audiences to traverse surreal landscapes before encountering a pure, symbolic orchid at the journey’s end.
With the aid of digital technology, Taiwan NOW transformed an art exhibition hindered by the pandemic into a global event, expanding the boundaries of art and transcending limitations of time and space. This allowed audiences worldwide to connect virtually, co-creating a new collective memory of art.
Credits
