Military facilities built in Taiwan during the Cold War have been gradually retired. Some have been transformed into cultural spaces. ALIEN Art Centre in Kaohsiung is an example. Kin-ma Military Hostel is currently run as ALIEN Art Centre. After two years of planning and renovation, it opened its doors to the public as a contemporary art museum.

Taiwanese artists active on the international stage react visually to the current global situation through their own contexts, reminding the audience not to look away, but to look closer in, asking the question of who we are, and how to make our voices heard, loudly and clearly, at this urgent time.

Through curating, comparative research and field research, “Herbal Urbanism”, is a series of exhibitions at Hong-gah Museum, curated by Manray Hsu in recent years, aiming to explore the unknown sides of Beitou. Moreover, the museum also actively connects and collaborates with organizations in the area, such as Beitou Hot Spring Museum and Taiwanese Yueqin Folk Song Association.

Art definitely comes from life, but it doesn’t mean that we need to live our lives in an artistic way. Instead, Yao observes beauty in the details of everyday life, and, from there, builds a relationship with art. “If we pursue the depth of life, we naturally know what we should have in our lives. Art comes from life, it does not decorate life.”