Art exhibition pushes for sustainable Penghu

2016/10/17

An exhibition by local and foreign artists is currently running at the Xue Xue Institute in Taipei City’s Neihu District, highlighting opposition to a proposal that, if approved, would authorize the construction and operation of casinos in offshore Penghu County.

Residents of the archipelago will head to the polls Oct. 15 to take part in a referendum on the issue, the second time such a vote has been held since 2009. The first took place Sept. 26 of that year following the passage of an amendment to the Offshore Islands Development Act that allows local citizens to vote on the establishment of gambling facilities. The proposal failed after being rejected by roughly 56 percent of voters.

Titled “A Sea to Our Children,” the exhibition runs until Nov. 20 and includes art, sound and film installations expressing the artists’ anti-gambling views, as well as their desire to protect the environment, which they say would be irrevocably damaged by casino construction and the resulting influx of gamblers.

One of the installations at the exhibition is a short film titled “Childhood of an Archipelago,” which was previously screened at the 2016 Biennale of Sydney art festival. Jointly created by French artist Yannick Dauby and his wife, Penghu-based Tsai Wan-shuen, the piece shows Penghu through the eyes of the children growing up there, accompanied by sounds recorded throughout the county such as New Year’s celebrations and the crashing of waves.

According to Dauby, children who are raised in a pure environment will grow to become kind and compassionate adults. It is his hope that instead of building casinos, the county government will take advantage of its pristine beaches and marine environment and put more effort into promoting nature tourism.

Other works in the exhibition include a giant statue of the roseate tern, which is commonly seen in Penghu, by local artist Lin Shuen-long; a photo series of everyday island life by photographer Chang Yung-chieh; and oil paintings symbolizing Penghu’s natural environment by Japan’s Kageyama Ken.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=248670&ctNode=2194&mp=9)