{"id":5237,"date":"2025-05-02T21:36:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T21:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/02\/robin-peckham-on-taipei-dangdai-as-a-global-launchpad-for-taiwans-art\/"},"modified":"2025-05-02T21:36:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T21:36:12","slug":"robin-peckham-on-taipei-dangdai-as-a-global-launchpad-for-taiwans-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/02\/robin-peckham-on-taipei-dangdai-as-a-global-launchpad-for-taiwans-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Robin Peckham On Taipei Dangdai as a Global Launchpad for Taiwan\u2019s Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Taipei Dangdai continues to expand its role as a bridge between Taiwan\u2019s vibrant local art scene and the global contemporary art market. Courtesy Taipei Dangdai<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Next week, Taipei Dangdai returns to the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center with a VIP preview on May 8. This year\u2019s theme, \u201cArt & Ideas,\u201d reflects this art fair\u2019s ambition to serve not only as a platform for market activity but also as a catalyst for discourse, fostering international exposure for Taiwanese art while providing space for research, dialogue and critical engagement in the broader contemporary ecosystem. Ahead of the fair\u2019s 2025 edition, Observer spoke with fair director Robin Peckham<\/a> about Taiwan\u2019s evolving art scene and the role Taipei Dangdai has played in opening that scene up to the world\u2014and to international professionals.<\/p>\n

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In a notable development ahead of the fair, Taipei Dangdai invited legendary curator and artistic director of the Serpentine in London, Hans Ulrich Obrist<\/a>, to check out Taiwan\u2019s flourishing art scene for the first time. His April research trip culminated in an inspiring public lecture\u2014an event Peckham describes as a galvanizing moment of dialogue between one of the global art world\u2019s foremost thinkers and Taiwan\u2019s creative community. \u201cObrist did about sixty-five meetings, seeing all of the top artists, all of the top museum directors and all of the main galleries,\u201d Peckham tells Observer. \u201cHe met with the best architects and collectors in Taiwan.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In April, Hans Ulrich Obrist visited Taiwan for the first time. Courtesy Taipei Dangdai<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re bringing the art world to Taiwan and creating a platform where the best of Taiwanese art\u2014or the part of the Taiwanese art world that really fits with the international art world\u2014can have some spotlight on it,\u201d explains Peckham, emphasizing the fair\u2019s commitment to building global bridges. \u201cThis results in new possibilities for international visibility while also bringing new ideas here and really stimulating new things happening in Taipei.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taipei Dangdai is smaller this year with fifty-one participating galleries, down from seventy-eight in 2024, but the art fair hasn\u2019t compromised on quality. International powerhouses Almine Rech and Karsten Greve are making their Taiwan debut, while returning galleries like Galleria Continua and Galerie EIGEN + ART Leipzig\/Berlin join major regional players including Japan\u2019s Kaikai Kiki Gallery, Ota Fine Arts and SCAI THE BATHHOUSE. They\u2019ll show alongside an impressive lineup of Taipei mainstays like Tina Keng Gallery, Lin & Lin Gallery, Asia Art Center, Chini Gallery, Each Modern, MICHAEL KU GALLERY and TKG+. For Peckham, this is proof that the fair has grown into its role as the go-to international stage for Taiwan\u2019s increasingly vibrant art market. \u201cWe have a really solid core group of art galleries that have consistently been building up the Taiwan market with us,\u201d he says. Taiwan has its own art fair culture, with many local events throughout the year. \u201cFor us, it\u2019s very important to keep the quality high no matter what we do; we are happier producing a smaller fair instead of a weaker one.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The fair\u2019s 2025 theme, \u201cArt & Ideas,\u201d underscores its dual commitment to market exchange and critical cultural dialogue. Courtesy Taipei Dangdai<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At every size, Taipei Dangdai maintains space for research and experimentation. The fair\u2019s special sector, Edge, is dedicated to galleries presenting new bodies of work by one or two young or emerging artists. Among this year\u2019s participants, Sydney-based COMA will stage a solo presentation of Aboriginal artist Kieren Karritpul<\/a>, whose work is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Australia, among other institutions. Ginkgo Space from Beijing will present Song Tang<\/a>\u2019s often provocative works, which parody social boundaries and bureaucratic absurdity with biting humor. Manila-based The Drawing Room offers a visual conversation between Filipino-born, U.S.-based artist Robert Gutierrez<\/a> and the cosmic abstraction of Clarence Chun<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Also debuting at Taipei Dangdai is TAEX, a forward-thinking interdisciplinary platform dedicated to new forms of digital expression. It will present three artists from the region and its diaspora exploring mediums from light and sound to immersive technology: Canadian-Korean artist Krista Kim<\/a>, whose work engages with digital light and meditative aesthetics; Taiwanese-American artist and filmmaker Shu Lea Cheang<\/a>; and Tatsuru Arai<\/a>, whose work fuses natural energy systems with the logic of science and technology.<\/p>\n

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Peckham describes the Taiwanese art scene as uniquely positioned and distinct from others he\u2019s worked in. \u201cThere are strong artists from the older generation, pioneers who are just not exposed internationally yet\u2014and there\u2019s a lot of work that remains to be done to promote them. Then there\u2019s a generation of young artists in their 20s and 30s who are working with new media and doing really daring things.\u201d The local infrastructure supports both trajectories. \u201cArtists and the art system have good support from the government and can also count on pretty active private support. This means that, regardless of whether they want to be more in the market or more focused on scholarly and independent projects, the options are there.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the same time, thanks to a strong base of local collectors, Taiwanese galleries have done solid business without the high-stakes pressure and cutthroat competition faced by dealers in larger art capitals. As with the Filipino art market<\/a>, even the most prominent Taiwanese galleries could, until recently, choose to forgo participation in the international fairs. That\u2019s beginning to change, with more Taiwanese programs appearing at Art Basel Hong Kong and even at Art Basel in Switzerland, bringing both their artists and institutional voices to global attention. \u201cTaipei Dangdai offers its own contribution to further foster this international promotion, because artists really need that,\u201d says Peckham.<\/p>\n

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Cross-institutional collaborations, including with the Ministry of Culture and the Hong Foundation, are helping to elevate Taiwanese talent on the global stage. Courtesy Taipei Dangdai<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The region\u2019s patrons are increasingly embracing opportunities to support artists beyond Taiwan\u2019s borders by helping them study and show internationally. The Hong Foundation, for example, now provides full support to any Taiwanese artist accepted into the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam, one of Europe\u2019s most prestigious academies, known for its highly selective and rigorous admissions process. Jenny Yeh<\/a>\u2014named among Artnews\u2019 Top 200 Collectors\u2014has also played a critical role through the Winsing Arts Foundation, introducing conceptual and experimental international artists to Taiwan while championing a close-knit circle of boundary-pushing local talent.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaiwan has always had really extraordinary collectors,\u201d Peckham asserts. Among them are figures operating at the highest levels of the international market, including Taiwanese tycoon and mega-collector Pierre Chen<\/a> and Barry Lam, the billionaire founder of Quanta Computer. While Lam maintains a low profile in the art world, Forbes estimated his net worth at $5.2 billion in 2022. He was also behind the creation of Taiwan\u2019s Museum of Art and Technology, located inside Quanta\u2019s headquarters and regularly showcasing works from his formidable private collection. Chen, meanwhile, has yet to open a private museum, but his holdings span everything from modernist masterpieces to contemporary Chinese and international art, as well as a celebrated cellar of exceptionally rare wines. He was reportedly the buyer of David Hockney\u2019s Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)<\/i> (1972), which sold for a record-breaking $90.3 million at Christie\u2019s in 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Last year, another influential figure, art collector Maggie Tsai<\/a>, made headlines with the opening of Taipei\u2019s new Fubon Art Museum. Through June, the museum is hosting a major exhibition of Louise Bourgeois, which traveled from the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo. According to Peckham, Taiwan\u2019s public museums are just as well-supported and robust in their programming. \u201cEvery major city in Taiwan has quite a strong and well-funded museum,\u201d he says. The Taipei Fine Arts Museum is the city\u2019s oldest and most prominent art institution and home to the Taipei Biennial, which returns this November under the curatorship of Sam Bardaouil<\/a> and Till Fellrath<\/a>, directors of Berlin\u2019s Hamburger Bahnhof.<\/p>\n

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Su Hui-Yu, The Space Warriors and the Digigrave<\/em>, 2024; video installation, A.I.-generated image, short film. Courtesy of the artist<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The New Taipei City Art Museum opened just days ago and already has ambitions to become a cultural landmark in the fast-growing New Taipei City district. Conceived as both a collecting and exhibiting institution, the museum is committed to nurturing emerging talent while shedding light on overlooked local histories. Its dual focus\u2014\u201cLocal Roots, Global Reach\u201d\u2014is clearly articulated through its inaugural exhibitions: \u201cNTCAM Collection: Encounters in Reflection,\u201d a survey of the city\u2019s artistic heritage, and \u201cReimagining Radical Cities,\u201d an international show that reconsiders urban imaginaries through a global lens.<\/p>\n

Strengthening its integration into Taiwan\u2019s national art ecosystem, Taipei Dangdai will once again partner with the Ministry of Culture for a special exhibition of work by Taiwanese artists. The upcoming edition of \u201cPulling the Plug\u201d will showcase three large-scale digital installations by artists working at the forefront of technology and contemporary culture. This year will also mark the debut of \u201cTaipei Node,\u201d an annual special exhibition spotlighting a Taipei-based artist of global promise, organized with support from the Hong Foundation and sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government. The inaugural presentation will feature fast-rising Taiwanese artist Li Yi-Fan<\/a> in a mini-retrospective of three works exploring digital technology, online information and artificial intelligence. Having already participated in the 2023 Taipei Biennial, Yi-Fan will represent Taiwan at the 2026 Venice Biennale.<\/p>\n

As a new generation of collectors emerges in Taiwan, Peckham has observed a shift in mindset\u2014echoing findings from the most recent Art Basel and UBS Report<\/a> and the 2025 Collector Report<\/a> from Avant Arte. \u201cA lot of them are kind of second- and third-generation collecting families, and they want to take the family history in a new direction,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019re very plugged in internationally, they fly around the world to fairs\u2014they see things, they see new models and they want to bring this back to Taiwan.\u201d At the same time, this new wave is forging its own path. \u201cI think at this point it\u2019s much more based on lifestyle and what is fun and interesting for them.\u201d In other words, these collectors are less compelled by the need to attend the big international fairs in the U.S. or Europe.<\/p>\n

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Li Yi-Fan, howdoyouturnthison<\/em>, 2021; single-channel video. Courtesy of the artist<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Touching on this point, we asked Peckham whether\u2014and how\u2014the Taiwanese art scene has been affected by rising regional tensions, particularly amid pressure from China, which continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory. The answer? It hasn\u2019t been particularly affected\u2014at least not yet. \u201cIt\u2019s not really a topic of conversation or something that people plan their lives around,\u201d he says. \u201cIf we consider what big Taiwanese corporations, billionaires and art collectors are doing, continuing to invest in the city and the country, that suggests a level of confidence in Taiwan\u2019s future perspectives.\u201d The Fubon Group just opened its museum; new hotels from Capella, Four Seasons, Andes and Park Hyatt are on the way; and development continues apace. The subtext: business\u2014and culture\u2014is booming, confirming a strong sense of confidence in Taiwan\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Taipei Dangdai\u2019s ambitions remain steady and grounded. It\u2019s not about scaling up; it\u2019s about staying relevant, sustainable and prioritizing quality. \u201cFor us, it is important to make sure that the participating galleries are the right ones and that the collectors we\u2019re bringing in are people who are kind of interested in coming and enjoying it for what it is,\u201d Peckham says. There\u2019s no race to outpace Hong Kong or compete with other major international events, which is why Peckham isn\u2019t particularly concerned that this year\u2019s fair overlaps with New York\u2019s major art week. \u201cWe want to spend time with collectors and galleries and help them level up their game before getting them to a higher level in the international art world,\u201d he adds. Ultimately, that\u2019s what it means to be a regional fair: Taipei Dangdai is, for now, a platform rooted in the local art scene that\u2019s building bridges to the global art world.<\/p>\n

Taipei Gendai<\/strong><\/a> opens with a VIP Preview on May 8 and runs through May 10 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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