‘Getting Lost is Good’: Elevated Walkways and Suspended Steps Bring Fun and Thrills to Grand New Taiwanese Cultural Hub.
Navigating the brand new Taichung Art Museum in the heart of Taiwan feels like exploring an abstract concept. Designed by the prestigious Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, the campus unites eight deliberately askew buildings that artfully blend an art museum with a public library. Clad with shimmering, mesh-like silver walls, the interior boasts soaring ceilings and meandering pathways.
Beyond the open lobby—a space that blurs boundaries—visitors amble along paths and ramps, suddenly transitioning in a library one moment and a world-class art exhibition the next. A doorway might unexpectedly lead a overhead passage suspended above a rooftop garden, revealing sweeping panoramas of Taichung’s Central Park, or into a intimate teenage reading nook. Steps seem to hang on building exteriors, and floor levels are deliberately disparate, complementing each space’s unique purpose and vibe rather than adhering to a rigid, standardized design.
“It is ‘a place designed for wandering’,” remarks Lan Yu-hua, an associate researcher at the museum, with a laugh. But she maintains that’s part of the intended experience: “We say that disorientation is beneficial.”
This municipal government-led project stands as the most recent in a succession of ambitiously designed museums and performance venues opened across Taiwan over the past two decades.
A Meeting of Architectural Minds
Led by 2010 Pritzker Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa—the duo behind 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 initial brief was for an art museum and a library on a single site.
The final result has blurred the distinctions between the two institutions. The design seems intended to slow down, easily picturing 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 under one roof, because I think that can successfully bring in another layer of audiences for us,” states Yi-Hsin Lai, the museum’s director.
Inaugural Exhibitions and Global Art
The museum’s opening program feature new installations by acclaimed South Korean artist Haegue Yang and Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. Yang’s large-scale installation offers an abstract meditation on the banyan trees and fireflies ubiquitous in Taiwan and Korea. Hanging from the 27-meter-high central atrium, it fuses her signature venetian blinds with lights and steel frames. At night, the luminous emission from her work is visible through the exterior mesh from a kilometer away.
The larger opening exhibition, titled A Call of All Beings, is an diverse yet unified mix of specially made and freshly collected art by artists from 20 countries. Curated by an international team, it places side-by-side 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, particularly those from Taichung. There is also a particular effort on including artists with disabilities—a timely initiative.
Boosting the Island’s Artistic Stature
For Taiwan’s art sector, this new museum represents a major chance 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 brief commute from Taipei and already hosts a respected Museum of Fine Arts and a expanding 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, “shifting the focus 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, points out that Sanaa’s involvement has drawn international attention and built upon Taiwan’s existing artistic momentum. “This will motivate 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 officially opens its doors in mid-December, preparing for a overwhelmingly domestic audience, at least initially, alongside visiting international press and museum professionals.