Footsteps into the Future ─ Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts goes on Show at Pan Palazzo delle Arti Napoli

　Kaohsiung has engaged with other port cities all over the world via its world-class container port - Kaohsiung Port. Kaohsiung establishes friendship around the globe by hosting the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung. The citizens of Kaohsiung are able to exchange views with other cities through abundant year round art exhibitions and events.

　From November 16th, 2007 to February 28th, 2008, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts will introduce twelve Taiwanese artists to the Pan Palazzo delle Arti Napoli, Italy. This exciting cooperation (between these two museums) is made possible due to the efforts of Dr. Julia Draganovic, director of the Pan Palazzo delle Arti Napoli.

　When Dr. Draganovic was invited to visit Taiwan in 2005, she was attracted by the sunny and vivid atmosphere that the city of Kaohsiung emits. She was impressed with Kaohsiung Port and the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, as well as the creativity of Taiwanese artists. Dr. Draganovic keenly observed that Naples and Kaohsiung have many similarities. Both Kaohsiung and Naples are port cities and are strongly influenced by their long history, which stimulates the art works from these two cities filling them with energy and creativity. This main theme of this exhibition focuses on  "Footsteps into the Future." Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts presents a series of works by the twelve Taiwanese artists: Chieh-jen Chen, Shu-min Lin, Wei-cheng Tu, Ming-tse Li, Tunglu Hung, Jer-Yu Sheu, Sheng-chien Hsiao, Kao-sin Liu, Jiun-yang Li, Mu-jen Lu, Sheng-yen Huang and A-Min. Throughout this exhibition, the twelve artists present contemporary art in video, image, painting, site installation and sculpture to further explore the relationship between people and history. When visiting this art exhibition, you may experience various emotions such as joy and surprise. Dr. Draganovic has remarked that Taiwanese artists are capable of using fresh materials and techniques to surprise viewers.

　Apart from introducing Taiwan's Contemporary Art to Naples, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts also hosts two significant events: Across Oceans and Time- Art in the Contemporary Pacific and Kaohsiung International Container Festival. Across Oceans and Time- Art in the Contemporary Pacific is on exhibit from October 20th to March 30th, 2008 and presents nearly 90 works of art by 80 indigenous artists from the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Kaohsiung International Container Festival will exhibit from December 8th to January 13th and present Sustainable Cosmopolitan as its topic. The selected submissions come from Britain, France, Japan, Thailand, Austria, and Taiwan whose artists display their creativity through cargo containers to express their concerns towards global ecology.

未來的軌跡─高雄市立美術館將於拿波里當代美術館展出

◎文／侯雅婷　◎圖片提供／高雄市立美術館

　　藉由世界級的貨櫃港─高雄港，高雄市與世界各個海港城市頻繁地交流；藉由「2009高雄世運」的舉辦，高雄市以體育串連全世界的的友誼；藉由終年不斷的藝術活動，得以和其他城市的民眾進行無國界的交流。

　　在義大利拿波里當代美術館館長Dr. Julia Draganovic的大力促成下，高雄市立美術館與十二位台灣藝術家以「未來的軌跡」為主題，應邀於今年11月16日至2008年2月28日赴義大利「拿波里當代美術館」展出。

　　拿波里當代美術館館長Dr. Julia Draganovic曾於2005造訪台灣，被高雄市充滿陽光及活力的氛圍所吸引，對於高雄港與高雄市立美術館均留下深刻的印象，也相當肯定台灣藝術家的創作能力，促成這個令人興奮的合作機會，讓台灣與義大利的藝術創作相互交流。值得一提的是，Draganovic館長在這樣的合作關係中發現了許多雙方的共通點：高雄市與拿波里皆為海港城市；具備有悠久的歷史背景，進一步影響藝術創造風格，作品皆展現動人的能量與藝術張力。此次「未來的軌跡」展覽中，陳界仁、林書民、涂維政、李明則、洪東錄、許哲瑜、蕭聖健、劉高興、李俊陽、呂沐芢、黃勝彥、張和民等十二位台灣藝術家，以當代藝術創作為語彙，訴說長遠歷史文化，藉由不同型式的藝術創作，探討人與歷史之間的關係，創作作品的感染力讓觀賞者感受愉悅、驚喜或矛盾衝突等各種不一的情緒反應。Julia Draganovic館長表示，台灣的藝術家總透過很「新鮮」的創作手法或材質，讓人驚喜。

　　除了將台灣藝術帶到義大利交流，高美館年底還有二項令市民引領企盼的藝術活動─「南島當代藝術展」與每二年舉辦一次的「高雄國際貨櫃藝術節」。於10月20日到2008年3月30日舉辦的「南島當代藝術展」，有來自南太平洋區域十餘個島國或自治區、紐西蘭和台灣等地，近八十位當代原住民藝術家展出九十餘件藝術作品；此外，今年「高雄國際貨櫃藝術節」將從12月8日展至2008年1月13日，以「Sustainable Cosmopolis永續之城：生態貨櫃創作計劃」為主題，徵件，入選的藝術家分別來自英、法、日、泰、俄、澳洲與台灣等七個國家，一同以貨櫃為其創作素材，用各種藝術形式，表達對全球生態的關懷。