Winners of the 22nd Taishin Arts Award Announced

Apostating Time Wins the Grand Prize for Its Interpretation of Blending a Nanguan Classic and Contemporary Theatre

The Visual Arts Award and the Performing Arts Awards Go to Unconventional Works, Ký Túc Xá (Dorm) and Who’s Koxinga?, Respectively

The annual major event of contemporary art in Taiwan, the Taishin Arts Award, presented the 22nd award ceremony on June 1st , 2024 and announced the three award winners selected from seventeen shortlisted works. The Visual Arts Award goes to Your Bros. Filmmaking Group’s Ký Túc Xá (Dorm), Taipei Seagull Theatre’s Who’s Koxinga? wins the Performing Arts Award, and the Grand Prize is awarded to Apostating Time co-produced by approaching theatre and Gang-a Tsui Theater.

The 22nd Taishin Arts Award. The Grand Prize Apostating Time by approaching theatre Gang a Tsui Theater. Photo by Lin Yu Quan

In his toast, Simon CHENG, the chairman of the Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, expressed that the importance of the Taishin Arts Award has already exceeded the award itself over the past 22 years, locating, receiving, and conveying its discoveries to the public through different artistic landscapes. Despite the general frameworks of categories, each shortlisted work is still stylistically unique and serves as a certain benchmark. “The announcement and ceremony of the Award is a summary and re-start of artistic activities of the entire year that crucially drives and attests to the diverse development of contemporary art in Taiwan.”

The Visual Arts Award Ký Túc Xá (Dorm) by Your Bros. Filmmaking Group, Image courtesy of Your Bros. Filmmaking Group

This year, the Final Selection Jury was chaired by theatre scholar LIN Ho-Yi and comprised various jurors, including art critic CHANG Ching-Wen, film director HUANG Ya-Li, producer SUN Ping and Paris-based artist CHEANG Shu Lea. The international jurors also included Rhana Devenport ONZM, the director of Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide, and Matthias Mohr, the artistic direction and executive director of Radialsystem in Berlin. A total of NT$ 3.5 million prize money was awarded to the three award winners, who have been selected after an extensive three-day meeting.

The 22nd Taishin Arts Award. The Performing Arts Award Whos Koxinga by Taipei Seagull Theatre. Photo by LIN Yu Quan

Visual Arts Award (with NT$ 1 Million prize money)
Ký Túc Xá (Dorm) / Your Bros. Filmmaking Group (featured in the 2023 International Techno Art Exhibition “Are You Working Now?”)

Performing Arts Award (with NT$ 1 Million prize money)
Who’s Koxinga?/ Taipei Seagull Theatre

Grand Prize (with NT$ 1.5 Million prize money)
Apostating Time / approaching theatre & Gang-a Tsui Theater (2023 Taiwan Traditional Theatre Festival 2023 NTT Fall for Great Souls)

Click for more info