The work of three generations of Taiwanese artists are to be showcased in a major exhibition in Honolulu this month in a show sponsored by the Taiwan French Artists Association

Art Salon Images, the 2012 Taiwan French Artists Association (TFA) International Roaming Exhibition of Taiwanese Artists, is to be exhibited at the Honolulu Hale city government building in downtown Honolulu between July 3 and July 12. The exhibition will feature the work of 62 artists and include 69 works in all, combining Western and Chinese styles and incorporating a range of media. The diversity and regional nature of the pieces are testament to the international outlook of the artists and their willingness to embrace other cultures.

According to the curator of the Honolulu show, Su Huan-hao, the TFA was created in 1996 when the association’s founder, Chao Tsung-kwan brought together a number of Taiwanese artists whose own work had been selected for the prestigious French Salon and Salon d’Automne exhibitions. These individuals represent three generations of artists in Taiwan, and are drawn entirely from the elite of the art world in Taiwan.

Artists from the previous generation, such as Yen Shui-long, Yang San-lang, and Chang Yi-hsiung are known for the considerable contribution each has made to the origins and development of Taiwanese art. Younger artists, including Chao and Lee Yung-Han have taken up the mantle from their illustrious predecessors.

The TFA continues to blaze the way for Taiwanese art, acting as a window for dialogue between the art world in Taiwan and international artists. Hsu He-he took on the role of TFA chairman in 2009, and has worked to embrace the international scene since then, organizing major exhibitions of TFA members’ work both in Taiwan and abroad every year.

According to Su the exhibition would not have been possible without the commitment and hard work of many organizations and individuals, such as Hsu and other members of the TFA board, the cultural office of the Honolulu Hale, the official Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu, Hawaii, the local Taiwanese Association, Wu Hsiang-chin and his wife, and Hsieh Hsu-wan.

Taipei Times
05 July 2012

Photo caption
Lee Yung-han, Nien Hua (2008). Photo courtesy of TFA