Highlights of 1st Taiwan International Austronesian Art Triennial 2023

Pintung, Taiwan, November 14, 2023 --(PR.com)-- Presented by Indigenous Peoples Cultural Development Center, with Council of Indigenous Peoples and Ministry of Culture as advisors, the 1st edition of Taiwan International Austronesian Art Triennial (TIAAT) launches its grand opening on 28 October at Taiwan Indigenous Culture Park in Pintung, Taiwan, and will be open until 18 February 2024.

The Triennial's theme, "RamiS," was co-curated by Nakaw Putun and Etan Pavavalung. In response to the theme, the two curators each proposed exhibition subtitles, "Becoming Spiritual" and "Why We Are Us." With the theme of "RamiS" (“root” in Proto-Austronesian), the Triennial seeks to trace the roots of the Austronesian languages, to explore the legends, origins, migration and expansion, and to find answers to the question of the symbiosis between human beings and the nature through art.

The inaugural Triennial brings together a total of 25 artists to be showcased in the Octagonal Special Display Hall, Artifact Display Room, and Lifestyle Exhibition Hall, presenting a series of paintings, prints, sculptures, videos and mixed-media installations. Among the above, the artworks that have recently represented Taiwan in major international exhibitions, including the Biennale of Sydney and documenta in Kassel, will also be presented for the first time in Taiwan.

Highlighted Artworks:
- A large installation in a high ceiling hall, "Cevulj, Path of a Family," is an extension of the artist Aluaiy Kaumakan's ongoing Rubbings series, which was exhibited at the Biennale of Sydney 2022.
- Exhibited at documenta 2022, Rawus Tjuljaviya's "Snail Paradise Trilogy: Setting Sail or Final Chapter" looks into the great exchange of species caused by human travel.
- New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana's epic multi-channel video installation "Nomads of the Sea" not only examines the European narrative of colonial history in the Pacific, but rethinks the traditional culture and gender values of the Maori people.
- Participating in the Biennale of Sydney 2024, Idas Losin responds to the Tahitian women often seen in Gauguin's paintings with portraits of indigenous Taiwanese men, exploring a perspective different from that of the West.
- Milay Mavaliw's large-scale installation "Dalan" features intertwined, woven hemp-colored materials that are suspended from above and cascade down to scatter across the floor, creating a beautiful metaphor for the millennia-long historical ties of the Austronesian people.
- Malaysian artist Chee Wai Loong's 5 meter high dynamic mechanical installation "Homesick" is the largest land artwork in the exhibition. Centered with a traditional Malaysian stage house, the artist hopes to reunite with the ancestors through the drifting forms, the sound waves, and the play of light and shadow.

Full Participating Artists:
Chee Wai Loong (Malaysia), I Made Sukariawan (Indonesia), Lisa Reihana (New Zealand), Aluaiy Kaumakan, Ali Istanda, Anguc Makaunamun, Chen Shu-ye, Ciwas Tahos, Dondon Hounwn, Iyo Kacaw, Idas Losin, Kulele Ruladen, Ljailjai Tult, Labay Eyong, Lafin Sawmah, Ljaljeqelan Patadalj, Milay Mavaliw, Rawus Tjuljaviya, Reretan Pavavaljungi, Sya man Misrako, Siyat Moses, Sutipau Tjaruzaljum, Tuwak Tuyaw, Tanivu Tapari, Yuma Taru