Taipei East District Fun Park Taitung: Showcasing the Artistic Power in Daily Life

By MOOK Scenic Spots Travel Life Network, Reported by Chen Guanxin

 

Summer has quietly slipped away. For readers who haven’t quite returned to their routines yet, do you want to catch the tail end of the break and explore nearby on the weekends? Now in its eighth edition, the “Fun Park Taitung Contemporary Art Exhibition” runs from today until September 29. With the concept of an “Art Museum Without Walls,” the exhibition takes over the development areas of Zhongxiao East Road, Ren’ai Road, and Fuxing South Road in Taipei City, and has expanded to the Songshan Tobacco Factory Cultural Park. The artworks are displayed across 30 spaces — from trendy shops, boutique fashion stores, bookstores and cafés, community activity centers, street trees, to alleyways between residential fire lanes. Whether it’s a giant octopus clinging to a building, two big eyes suddenly appearing on a tree, or a huge lotus flower that opens and closes vividly, all have become popular photo spots. Readers who haven’t seen it yet should take advantage of the last days of the holiday and make a pilgrimage to the East District now!

This year’s outdoor exhibition area adopts a humorous atmosphere. Filthy Luker from the UK has wrapped a deep-sea octopus around the entire building of agnès b. café on Da’an Road — the absolutely eye-catching “Luker the Rascal” demands your undivided attention. Suddenly, mischievous and lively eyes pop up on the trees in Taipei, watching over the summer streets. Their playful visual swaps bring a sense of fun, making passersby smile knowingly.

Liu Kuo-cheng, the architect behind Tainan’s “Prussian Blue Prints,” brings a flying asphalt road into the bustling business district and introduces the Prussian Blue Prints concept to Taipei for the first time, presenting spatial novelty through a unique architectural perspective. In the prime area of East District’s fashion brands, the hair salon FEISER collaborates with two Fun Park Taitung artists. Artist Qiu Yuwen uses paper-cutting art to echo the designer’s theme of “cutting,” while another artist, Yang Fu-ching, responds to the theme of “hair” by dyeing hair extensions to create a stunning imagination of a volcanic eruption.

This year, several international artists have also been invited to create large-scale installation pieces. South Korea has the highest proportion of participating artists for the first time. Internationally renowned Korean artists Kim Chang-hwan, Kim Myoung-bum, Roh Dong-seok, and Choi Jeong-hwa each use various materials such as metal frameworks, soft textiles, composite plastics, and inflatable objects to present massive sculptural works scattered throughout Taipei’s urban spaces. Among them, internationally acclaimed Korean artist Choi Jeong-hwa, known for creating large-scale works with brightly colored plastic ready-mades or inflatable objects, presents his piece titled “Breathing Flower.” Originally invited to appear at the Hong Kong Art Fair, it has been brought to Taipei for exhibition. The lotus has long been an important symbol in Asian culture, and this lotus, of unimaginable size, blooms right in the heart of Taipei. Its lifelike opening and closing movements through mechanical means contrast nature with the artificial, offering delightful surprises.

How fun is Fun Park Taitung? Janet, Jolin Tsai, Jam Hsiao, Jia Jia, Wei Bird, and more… A total of 20 celebrities jointly recommend it, inviting everyone to enjoy a “Fun Summer.” Not only does the event surround people with artworks, but it also plans a series of exciting peripheral activities. On September 11 from 14:30 to 16:00, the Fun Lucky Chicken Creation Workshop will be held on the 11th floor of Fuan Memorial Hall, where you can paint a lucky chicken from the Netherlands through your own creativity, bringing out its full hope and energy. The “Fun Youth Day” on September 14 features a creative market and concerts. The concerts are split into two sessions: 15:40–16:40 and 17:00–21:00, held respectively at the Taipei Expo Park Green Square and Cultural Square. For more details, visit the official website: www.fubonart.org.tw/veryfunpark2013.

 

 

●  Extended Reading:

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