Resident artists create 3D artworks as Kenting community embraces an eco-friendly vibe

▲ The 3D painting “The Adventure Story of Gangkou Community” created by Tsai Yihua. (Photo provided by Lishan Ecology, the same below)

By Chen RuiZhong / Comprehensive report

For the first time this year, the Kenting National Park Headquarters launched a call for artworks by resident artists. The two selected artists, Tsai Yihua and Chen Jinhui, began their residencies in Gangkou Community and Lide Community on September 3. Tsai Yihua completed a 3D painting titled “The Adventure Story of Gangkou Community,” incorporating distinctive elements of the village, while Chen Jinhui used marine waste to create an art piece called “Wind Interpreter,” bringing both communities to life.

Tsai Yihua, who hails from Taipei, is residing in the community as an artist for the first time. She incorporated unique local elements such as the white banyan garden, moonlit sea, fiddler crab replicas, flying fish, and bamboo rafts to complete her 3D painting “The Adventure Story of Gangkou Community.” Visitors feel as if they have stepped into a magical ecological world when standing before the artwork.

▲ People playing the Lide Anthem in front of the “Wind Interpreter” artwork.

Meanwhile, Chen Jinhui, an experienced resident artist, drew inspiration from the strong winter winds known as the "mountain-down winds" that sweep through the Hengchun Peninsula. He collected various types of marine debris — including buoys, driftwood, and styrofoam — which he and fellow community members painted by hand before assembling them into an art installation called “The Wind Translator,” dubbed “Wind Interpreter.”

During the residency, the artists built strong relationships with residents and felt their warm hospitality. Tsai Yihua mentioned that during the painting process, locals often stopped by to check on her and even introduced her to the area’s land crab ecology. She hopes to use art as a medium to bring ecological conservation knowledge to visitors.