TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The sixth installment of Taipei Dangdai, held over the weekend at the Nangang Exhibition Center, cemented the rising prominence of art fairs in setting trends in contemporary art and thought.
As biennials, especially those in Asia, begin to lose their luster and government funding, art fairs have flourished, providing a platform for international artists, collectors, and patrons.
“Outside of a few major biennials, many cities are finding they simply do not attract enough tourism,” said Taipei Dangdai Co-Director Robin Peckham.
Art fairs with ample VIP areas and pop-up cafes prove to be a more amenable place for art contemplation. A friendly attitude toward children and strollers makes art fairs a fun outing for the general public as well as serious collectors.
And provocative artwork, once a hallmark of biennials, is now appearing at art fairs through specially curated categories with the blessing and patronage of government funding.
This year, Taipei Dangdai cooperated with the Ministry of Culture to present video installation work of three challenging Taiwanese artists.
The first was Zhang Xu-zhan’s (張徐展) "Termite Feeding Show," a surreal recreation of termites feasting on electrical wires, causing power outages.
“I read about this news and became curious about how these termites would celebrate their last meal. I learned they began eating wires because they ran out of wood, and there was some nutritional content in the wires.”
Zhang was also inspired to create this subterranean work due to an arts residency in Ruifang—an area known for its coal mines and easy access to insects that burrow below the surface.
Another work was Cheang Shu-lea’s (鄭淑麗) "UTTERING" (2023), an animated, ever-morphing self-portrait using an AI algorithm that tackles sex and gender.
The Taipei City-funded "Making of…Li Yi-Fan" presented three works that span themes from digital technology to artificial intelligence. Li Yi-Fan (李亦凡) will represent Taiwan at the 2026 Venice Biennale, making this exhibition a valuable sneak preview of that much-anticipated pavilion.
Chou Ya-mii (周雅菁), director of the Department of Art Development at the Ministry of Culture, said at an earlier press conference to open the fair, “This year marks the second time we have collaborated with Taipei Dangdai.” She added that budget issues at the MOC have begun to clear, and she expects her department to sponsor four art fairs this year.
While government funding aids arts development, the heart of an art fair is undoubtedly the galleries that comprise it. At the 53 galleries exhibiting, there was a good deal of chatter from buyers about price and availability, with more than a few remarks of “I will take one” overheard.
And there was fine artwork on display, such as Yue Minjun’s iconic painting "Sea" (2011), and Edgar Plans’ whimsical cartoon-like "The Race" (2024), offered by Tang Contemporary Art.
“Painting has made a comeback at art fairs in recent years, and now it’s sculpture, as many people want something new like installations,” said UK artist Hugo Bruce. To adapt to changing tastes, Bruce has transitioned from painting to sculpture, drawing inspiration from nature.
“I used the lost-wax casting method to produce these works. I still have to use traditional processes that are thousands of years old, as they cannot be reproduced on a CNC machine—there are too many axes.”
As for something striking and new, Olaf Nicolai’s "Why Women Like to Buy Textiles That Feel Nice" (2010) is a blast of bright color when set against the overwhelming white of temporary gallery walls.
A closer look reveals that it’s a chromatic cotton and silk curtain. When asked the inevitable question—“What’s behind the curtain?”—Nicolai refers to the centerfold of an accompanying brochure, which reads "Wizard of Oz" on an otherwise blank page.
Nicolai said the piece was inspired by a study on the long-term effects of unemployment in the textile industry and Thorsten Veblen’s book "Theory of the Leisure Class."
He also cited the Easterlin Paradox, which posits that happiness increases in tandem with income only up to a certain point. Beyond that, as societies grow richer, other factors—like social recognition, meaningful work, and cultural enrichment—play a greater role in life satisfaction.
