Taipei City Government

In addition to luxuriant greenness, the park now offers so much more. The Taipei City Youth Park has introduced art into the park in conjunction with the 2nd South Sour Water/Performance and Visual Art Festival, which will take place from 2019/12/7-31 at the Horticulture Exhibition Hall of the Youth Park. The visual art festival is curated jointly with international art organizations, combining local and international art creations. The park was chosen to merge art with flora in order to explore the relationship between people and the natural environment.

Parks and Street Lights Office (PKL) of Public Works Department Director Chen Jung-Hsin indicated that in an attempt to endow parks with more possibilities besides providing a comfortable natural environment in the city, PKL has joined forces with Waley Art to host the 2nd South Sour Water/Performance and Visual Art Festival. The collection of artworks for this year’s festival is nothing short of extraordinary, including artwork from the International Video Art Festival Now&After in Russia, as well as diverse images and art installations by artists from Japan and New Zealand, and Taiwanese artists such as Liu Wen-Chi and Wang Shao-Kang. The art creations are complemented by a rich array of forest plants in the exhibition hall to create the unconventional art exhibition with thriving vivacity. At the same time, large art installations by the Empty Art Collective are also featured in the exhibition, totaling 9 image artworks and 2 art installations.

Russian artist Marina Fomenko’s A Ball documents how senior citizens in a local Moscow park turn back time and dance without a care in the world; the image corresponds with citizens in the Youth Park perfectly. New Zealand artist Brit Bunkley’s video still creation entitled Godzone presents a powerful contrast between 3D renderings of abandoned factories and natural landscapes from New Zealand’s national parks to explain the competitive relationship between the two. Japanese artist Hiroya Sakurai’s The Stream VII showcases unique abstract beauty in the form of an underwater video taken at a rice field aqueduct. The artwork is collected by the Louvre Museum in France.

PKL Youth Park Management Division Director Wang Shu-Ya remarked that the exhibition will be held at the Horticulture Exhibition Hall of the Youth Park from 2019/12/7 to 12/29 (11:00-18:00, closed on Monday). Although there are not many exhibits, the quality of the exhibits is nothing short of excellent, while the inclusion of plants and artwork introduction by the docents allows everyone to appreciate the beauty of art. All citizens are welcome to participate in the free exhibition and soak up the artistic vibes in the park.