The China Post
There’s a motion, there’s a move, a trend. But what’s the chord? Where’s the heart?
Saturday night is opening night for “The Wild East” art show, in which twenty-four local artists have come together to show work inspired by the theme of “celebrating the clash between East and West civilizations,” as organizers put it.
Art lovers and collectors will find wall-to-wall art, but throughout the evening there will also be wine, food, live music, artists on hand to introduce their work, portraits done on-site by Beryl Chen and Alice Wei, the screening of Taiwanese artist Kenbo Liao’s work — and firedancing at midnight.
The hauntingly beautiful music by Angel & The Macedonian Music Band will be featured, as well as local favorite free-flow spoken word poets Babylon (Canadian Zach Touzin) and The Shaman (Taiwanese-Texan Elliot Tsai).
Overall, the collective is excited about what promises to be the party of the year, and a landmark event for the local arts community.
“Taiwan is making art hip,” says the show’s private sponsor, Canadian entrepreneur Ross Kenneger in an interview Tuesday. “This show is not foreign-led. Never forget: Taiwan is a tiger; it has its own identity that moves us all. What’s happening here is the center of cool, and artists are doing it for themselves. We have put together a massive event. Forget Carnegie’s — this is it. This has not been done before.”
What makes the show’s venue unique is that it is held at the Beat Studio, an independently run residence-turned-gallery founded by British artist Timothy Nathan Joel and Canadian Daniel DesJardins, overlooking Minchuan park in leafy Songshan district.
“This is the start of something that always has always been what should be,” Tim said the other night. “We’ve been here five years and it’s the right time. The time is now; efforts have fused together. We keep saying how if you build it, they will come, and that’s how it is. It’s always about what you do and who you are. And if you believe it, people will come. I’ve always liked the saying, ‘Some dream, some do, some do both.”
The work is a mix of artists who are showing their work for the first time in a gallery show, as well as an impressive lineup of those who have already made a name for themselves, such as Hack, the editor of Discontinued Magazine, “Stig” Hansen, Stuart Hamby, and Wu Bai.
“The show is a chance to meet people, be introduced to other artists; a short of launching pad, in a sense,” Tim said.
“Kant, Hegel and Nietzsche put ideas to it; the Romantics put a feel to it; the Beats brought it back into atomic energy; Taipei put a move on,” Kenneger lionized.
What: “Wild East” Art Show and 886 Magazine launch party
Where: Beat Studio Taipei, No. 14, 4F, Fujin Street, Lane 359, Alley 2, Taipei
Reservations are recommended for VIP viewing of the artwork, Saturday, 7-9 p.m.: 09 39 791 245.
When: Saturday, Jan. 19, 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.
No cover charge.
狂野東方 預告
時間：星期六，1月19日，晚上7點～凌晨1點
地點：Beat Studio, 台北
“我把這當做是一個Beat Studio全新而且持續的創造力，先體驗新一年的到來，讓兩年只能辦一次展覽的人忌妒！”Trista笑著這麼說。
Trista的作品在英國跟美國都出現過，但這次由她親自主導卻是第一次經驗。
Trista說，她想經由這次狂野東方展覽把台北愛好藝術的台灣人跟”老外”都轉變成新的當地藝術家。這群人包含有 ﹣Beat studio的兩位館主 Tim Nathan Joel跟Daniel Desjardins, 海克哈, 五百, Joanne Chu, Stuart Hamby, David Archdale, David Stig Hansen。
“有一位藝術家的一項作品很有力，我們想也是時候了” Trista強調 “我們將重新播映Kenbo Liao的台灣歷史影片，我們認為仔細欣賞他的作品實在是太重要了”。
這場狂野東方展覽中，音樂也佔了很重要的一環。Trista強調，在晚上八點到十點之間會有Angel & The Macedonian 樂團、巴爾幹通俗音樂的播放，一些很受人注目的世界音樂。
Nicola Tesla會很喜歡他們的音樂，我們已經在很多私人地方神祕公演過了。去年和平音樂節的召集人Scott Cook也是這些樂團的愛好者。
Trista並且說 “我們也安排了Freestyle音樂的Groove Guru Zach Touzin, Elliott “The Shaman”Tsai，以及 Omnipotent Rock Guitar Sensation Pastor Phillip Charlier。”
這場展覽的贊助者Ross Kenneger，一位當地的企業家 ( rosskenneger.com) 讚揚說 “這場在Beat Studio的狂野東方展覽將會很耀眼, 並且會興起一些新的年輕台北藝術家。這會是東西方文化衝擊的橋樑，藝術會再度成為一股潮流。”
Trista的作品中經常運用到 three-pronged 方式來操作 (為達到相同目標而採用3種不同方法做表現) ﹣詩、畫、跟音樂。
她最新作品由Lone Wolf Press ( lonewolfpress.com)所發行的有 “The Wild East: Experiential Poetry & Tales of Adventure”, “The Great Scroll of Banciao”, 以及 “Experienced in Taiwan”，她會突然起身開始讀寫詩文，她說，通常是跟巡迴樂團團員們一起時隨身攜帶並且隨時閱讀。她說：Jim Morrison會很引以為傲的。
她的第一次喜劇演出 “Pearls of Wisdom From The Pig’s Ass” 才一個星期就銷售一空，並且被摘錄於10月31號的The Taipei Comedy Club。
出生於美國甘乃迪州，在亞利桑那洲土桑市以及加州長大，她也曾定居於法國、瑞典、以及英國。她是在1994年在法國時開始作畫，她已經在不少集合秀當中展覽過她的作品 ﹣ 當她還是牛津大學學生時曾展覽於柏克萊、華盛頓。
她近期的作品經常出現在台北各個聚餐場所例如 Citizen Cain, Orlando 以及 The Watershed, 我們也邀請了其他企業參觀這次在The Beat Studio的狂野東方展覽演出。
The Beat Studio 在這次展覽將會擠爆20多位以上現今藝術家的作品，我們竭誠歡迎您蒞臨參觀這場狂野東方藝術展覽。