🔗 Share this article ‘Embrace the Maze’: Elevated Walkways and Suspended Steps Bring Fun and Thrills to Mighty New Taiwan Museum. Navigating the brand new Taichung Art Museum in the heart of Taiwan feels like wandering through a conceptual maze. Designed by the celebrated Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, the complex consists of eight deliberately askew buildings that effortlessly combine an art museum with a public library. Clad with shimmering, mesh-like silver walls, the interior boasts vast vertical spaces and curving walkways. Beyond the open lobby—a space that defies categorization—visitors stroll along walkways and inclines, suddenly transitioning in a library one moment and a top-tier art exhibition the next. A entry might open up to a elevated walkway crossing over a rooftop garden, providing sweeping panoramas of Taichung’s Central Park, or into a intimate teenage reading nook. Floating staircases cling on building exteriors, and floor levels shift purposefully, complementing each space’s unique role and energy rather than imposing a rigid, overall consistency. “It is ‘a place designed for wandering’,” remarks Lan Yu-hua, an associate researcher at the museum, chuckling. But she maintains that’s part of the intended experience: “We say that getting lost is good.” This civic undertaking stands as the latest in a string of prominent museums and performance venues established across Taiwan over the past two decades. A Visionary Collaboration Led by 2010 Pritzker Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa—creators of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Sydney Modern gallery—Sanaa collaborated with the Taiwanese firm Ricky Liu & Associates Architects+Planners on the lengthy development. The Taichung city government’s simple directive was for an art museum and a library on a single site. The end product has erased the lines between the two institutions. The design prompts one to slow down, imagining a day spent studying or creating in the library, interspersed with leisurely walks through halls of art. “We are extremely pleased that we are with the library all together, because I think that can truly attract another layer of audiences for us,” states Yi-Hsin Lai, the museum’s director. Launch Shows with International Flair The museum’s opening program feature new installations by acclaimed South Korean artist Haegue Yang and Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. Yang’s immersive work offers an abstract representation on the banyan trees and fireflies found throughout Taiwan and Korea. Suspended within the 27-meter-high central atrium, it incorporates her signature venetian blinds with lights and steel frames. At night, the glowing light from her work shines through the exterior mesh from a kilometer away. The larger opening exhibition, titled A Call of All Beings, is an varied but harmonious mix of specially made and freshly collected art by artists from 20 countries. Curated by an international team, it juxtaposes master painters from mid-20th century Taiwan alongside postmodern video works. In a significant achievement, the curators also obtained original early sketches from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and archival photographs of Helen Keller. The exhibition places a strong emphasis on Taiwanese artists, with a focus on those from Taichung. There is also a dedicated focus on including artists with disabilities—a relevant initiative. Boosting the Island’s Artistic Stature For Taiwan’s art sector, this new museum represents a significant opportunity to enhance the island’s profile in the global art scene and further “decentralize” cultural focus from the capital, Taipei. Taichung, the island’s second-largest city, is a quick high-speed rail journey from Taipei and is home to a respected Museum of Fine Arts and a burgeoning sector of private galleries. However, it has historically struggled to attract international art tourists. “It’s quite dynamic and vibrant now. We hope that in a few years Taichung can be an artistic landmark Asian city,” expresses Director Lai. Claudia Chen, chair of a major Taiwanese art association, describes the new museum as a potential “gamechanger” for the country, “redirecting attention from the north to south.” “While Taichung and southern Taiwan have had many arts and cultural events in the past, none have reached the prestige and impact of Taipei,” Chen notes. Another arts foundation executive, Jenny Yeh, highlights that Sanaa’s involvement has garnered global interest and built upon Taiwan’s existing artistic momentum. “This will encourage more international visitors to explore beyond Taipei and develop a more complete understanding of Taiwan’s cultural landscape. Overall, it will be a tremendous help to Taiwan’s visibility on the global stage.” The museum commences public operations in mid-December, preparing for a overwhelmingly domestic audience, at least initially, alongside visiting international press and museum professionals.
Navigating the brand new Taichung Art Museum in the heart of Taiwan feels like wandering through a conceptual maze. Designed by the celebrated Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, the complex consists of eight deliberately askew buildings that effortlessly combine an art museum with a public library. Clad with shimmering, mesh-like silver walls, the interior boasts vast vertical spaces and curving walkways. Beyond the open lobby—a space that defies categorization—visitors stroll along walkways and inclines, suddenly transitioning in a library one moment and a top-tier art exhibition the next. A entry might open up to a elevated walkway crossing over a rooftop garden, providing sweeping panoramas of Taichung’s Central Park, or into a intimate teenage reading nook. Floating staircases cling on building exteriors, and floor levels shift purposefully, complementing each space’s unique role and energy rather than imposing a rigid, overall consistency. “It is ‘a place designed for wandering’,” remarks Lan Yu-hua, an associate researcher at the museum, chuckling. But she maintains that’s part of the intended experience: “We say that getting lost is good.” This civic undertaking stands as the latest in a string of prominent museums and performance venues established across Taiwan over the past two decades. A Visionary Collaboration Led by 2010 Pritzker Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa—creators of the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Sydney Modern gallery—Sanaa collaborated with the Taiwanese firm Ricky Liu & Associates Architects+Planners on the lengthy development. The Taichung city government’s simple directive was for an art museum and a library on a single site. The end product has erased the lines between the two institutions. The design prompts one to slow down, imagining a day spent studying or creating in the library, interspersed with leisurely walks through halls of art. “We are extremely pleased that we are with the library all together, because I think that can truly attract another layer of audiences for us,” states Yi-Hsin Lai, the museum’s director. Launch Shows with International Flair The museum’s opening program feature new installations by acclaimed South Korean artist Haegue Yang and Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. Yang’s immersive work offers an abstract representation on the banyan trees and fireflies found throughout Taiwan and Korea. Suspended within the 27-meter-high central atrium, it incorporates her signature venetian blinds with lights and steel frames. At night, the glowing light from her work shines through the exterior mesh from a kilometer away. The larger opening exhibition, titled A Call of All Beings, is an varied but harmonious mix of specially made and freshly collected art by artists from 20 countries. Curated by an international team, it juxtaposes master painters from mid-20th century Taiwan alongside postmodern video works. In a significant achievement, the curators also obtained original early sketches from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and archival photographs of Helen Keller. The exhibition places a strong emphasis on Taiwanese artists, with a focus on those from Taichung. There is also a dedicated focus on including artists with disabilities—a relevant initiative. Boosting the Island’s Artistic Stature For Taiwan’s art sector, this new museum represents a significant opportunity to enhance the island’s profile in the global art scene and further “decentralize” cultural focus from the capital, Taipei. Taichung, the island’s second-largest city, is a quick high-speed rail journey from Taipei and is home to a respected Museum of Fine Arts and a burgeoning sector of private galleries. However, it has historically struggled to attract international art tourists. “It’s quite dynamic and vibrant now. We hope that in a few years Taichung can be an artistic landmark Asian city,” expresses Director Lai. Claudia Chen, chair of a major Taiwanese art association, describes the new museum as a potential “gamechanger” for the country, “redirecting attention from the north to south.” “While Taichung and southern Taiwan have had many arts and cultural events in the past, none have reached the prestige and impact of Taipei,” Chen notes. Another arts foundation executive, Jenny Yeh, highlights that Sanaa’s involvement has garnered global interest and built upon Taiwan’s existing artistic momentum. “This will encourage more international visitors to explore beyond Taipei and develop a more complete understanding of Taiwan’s cultural landscape. Overall, it will be a tremendous help to Taiwan’s visibility on the global stage.” The museum commences public operations in mid-December, preparing for a overwhelmingly domestic audience, at least initially, alongside visiting international press and museum professionals.