The exhibition “Breaking Ground: Art & Activism in Indigenous Taiwan” opened Aug. 15 in Santa Fe of the U.S., creating dialogue between Indigenous peoples of the two sides.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the event is organized by Taichung City-based National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of American Indian Arts’ Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, with support from the ministry.
Open until Jan. 4, 2026, it is MoCNA’s biggest event of 2025 and features works by 10 contemporary Indigenous artists and groups from Taiwan. Creators include painter Idas Losin, of Truku and Atayal ancestry; Paiwan interdisciplinary textile sculptor and installation artist Aluaiy Kaumakan; Pangcah filmmaker Mayaw Biho; and Bunun print artist Ali Istanda.
Through themes of identify, self-representation and resistance, the artists address issues including loss of Indigenous rights, land, language and cultural knowledge, all of which are concerns echoed by Native American communities.
At the opening ceremony, MoCNA Director Patsy Phillips thanked Taiwan for jointly organizing the event to spotlight common cultural concerns faced by people around the world, while participating artist Iyo Kacaw, from the Amis tribe, performed a traditional blessing song.
The organizers said other event highlights included an Aug. 16 performance by Taiwan’s Bulareyaung Dance Company and the screening of a documentary offering insight into the vision of choreographer and founder Bulareyaung Pagarlava from Aug. 15 through 21 in MoCNA’s Media Gallery. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
According to the Ministry of Culture, the event is organized by Taichung City-based National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of American Indian Arts’ Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, with support from the ministry.
Open until Jan. 4, 2026, it is MoCNA’s biggest event of 2025 and features works by 10 contemporary Indigenous artists and groups from Taiwan. Creators include painter Idas Losin, of Truku and Atayal ancestry; Paiwan interdisciplinary textile sculptor and installation artist Aluaiy Kaumakan; Pangcah filmmaker Mayaw Biho; and Bunun print artist Ali Istanda.
Through themes of identify, self-representation and resistance, the artists address issues including loss of Indigenous rights, land, language and cultural knowledge, all of which are concerns echoed by Native American communities.
At the opening ceremony, MoCNA Director Patsy Phillips thanked Taiwan for jointly organizing the event to spotlight common cultural concerns faced by people around the world, while participating artist Iyo Kacaw, from the Amis tribe, performed a traditional blessing song.
The organizers said other event highlights included an Aug. 16 performance by Taiwan’s Bulareyaung Dance Company and the screening of a documentary offering insight into the vision of choreographer and founder Bulareyaung Pagarlava from Aug. 15 through 21 in MoCNA’s Media Gallery. (SFC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw
from Taiwan Today – Top News