The 14th Tokyo Genten Exhibition — The Taiwan Delegation Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Opening a New Chapter in Taiwan–Japan Artistic Exchange.

[TOKYO] Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Japan, the "14th Tokyo Genzenten" is grandly exhibited from August 5 to August 12 in Gallery No. 4 on the entrance hall floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. This exhibition brings together artists from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Colombia, China, and other regions to present diverse creative achievements across contemporary art, oil painting, color ink, and mixed media, serving as a major gathering for contemporary art exchange in Asia. In this highly monumental international art event, the Taiwanese delegation was invited as special overseas guests to engage in a shared dialogue with Japan's top modern artists, demonstrating the profound depth and diverse philosophical thinking of Taiwanese contemporary art.

Founded in 1948, the Japan Genzenten was jointly formed by the Western Painting Division of the Japan Writers Association, the Modern Art Research Society, and the Japan Shinsei-ha Art Association. Over nearly eighty years of development, it has become one of Japan's oldest and most representative national modern art organizations. It currently boasts about 400 professional artist members, with over a thousand participating artists annually, holding a prominent position in the Japanese art world.

Coinciding with the centenary celebration of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum this year, the "14th Tokyo Genzenten" carries even greater historical significance. In addition to inviting Japan Genzenten selection committee members and professional members from the Tokyo Branch to exhibit, the organizer specially invited overseas artists to participate, exemplifying the museum's hundred-year tradition of continuously promoting international cultural exchange.

The Taiwanese delegation delivered an outstanding presentation, featuring 16 invited artists: Liau Chun-Yi, Wang Chuan-Fu, Tsai Mei-Fang, Wang Muti, Wu Xinhe, Chen Fu-Chi, Chang Su-Lan, Wu Ya-Lun, Chang Pi-Hsiang, Chao Yu-Yen, Hsu Hsiu-Chu, Chiang Li-Hsiang, Hsieh Wen-Chien, Kou Shuku-kei, Hsieh Cheng-Yu, and Chou Jo-Mei. Their exhibited works span ink painting, color ink, oil painting, abstract art, and mixed media creations, fully demonstrating Taiwanese artists' creative energy in harmonizing traditional and contemporary elements while blending diverse cultures.

The creations of the 16 Taiwanese artists participating in the "14th Tokyo Genzenten" for the 100th anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum encompass diverse fields such as ink painting, color ink, oil painting, abstract art, and mixed media. The themes range from local Taiwanese landscapes like Alishan, Taroko, Penghu, and Kinmen, to life philosophy, religious spirituality, temporal memory, and contemporary social issues—amply exhibiting the creative vitality of the Taiwanese art scene, which fuses cultural roots with an international outlook. Through this international exhibition, Taiwanese artists not only showcase their creative achievements to Japanese and global audiences but also further deepen art and cultural exchanges between Taiwan and Japan.

Notably, numerous works by Taiwanese artists center on Taiwan's natural landscapes, humanistic memories, and philosophical reflections on life. These artworks not only possess distinctive local characteristics but also allow international audiences to appreciate the cultural depth of Taiwanese art. During the exhibition, the works attracted significant attention from both the Japanese art community and general visitors. In terms of formal language, the pieces reveal a rich foundation of Eastern aesthetics while incorporating contemporary artistic thinking, forming a creative character that merges an international perspective with cultural identity—standing out as one of the major highlights of this year's exhibition.

As global cultural exchange becomes increasingly frequent, art has served as a vital medium bridging national boundaries. The Taiwanese delegation's participation in the "14th Tokyo Genzenten" commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum represents not only a key opportunity for Taiwanese artists to display their work on an international stage, but also a meaningful step toward deepening artistic exchange and cooperation between Taiwan and Japan. Through the cultural dialogue fostered by artistic creation, creators and audiences from various countries can share aesthetic experiences and intellectual values, embodying the spirit of art without borders.

At this historic moment as the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum embarks on its next century, the participation of Taiwanese artists in this monumental international exhibition highlights Taiwan's artistic strength and symbolizes how Taiwanese contemporary art continues to reach out to the world, projecting a clearer and more confident voice on the global stage.

Overview of the 16 Participating Artists and Works from the Taiwanese Delegation

The participating artists cover contemporary ink painting, mineral pigment (glue color) painting, mixed media, and installation painting. The following are the biographies and representative works of the 16 participating artists from the Taiwanese delegation (listed in the order of official recommendation, review, and registration):

1. Liau, Chun-Yi
   
   • Representative Works: Unfinished Floating Realm, Wandering Forms, Domain of Thought · Tranquility
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Ph.D. from the Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences at Chung Shan Medical University; former faculty member at Tatung University. Combining scientific rationality with artistic sensibility, her works have been exhibited in international exhibitions such as Japan's 81st Gen-Ten, the 24th NAU 21st Century Art Alliance Exhibition, Mainichi Shodokai, and Sankei Shodokai. Her artwork excels in exploring how "unfinished things" sustain the world, conveying deep emotions between floating and becoming.
2. Wang Chuan-Fu
   
   • Representative Works: Leisurely Stroll in August, A Uniform Autumn, A Single Thought of Bodhi Opens the Emerald Heights
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Bachelor's degree from National Taiwan University of Arts, Master of Fine Arts in Fine Arts Creation from National Taipei University of the Arts. Currently Art Director at Huai Zhu Ju Calligraphy and Painting Art Academy and Lecturer at Shu Zen Junior College of Medicine and Management. His creations blend Heideggerian disclosure (Erschlossenheit) with Eastern aesthetics of emptiness, presenting a spiritual topology where "before a single thought arises, all roots are already in motion."
3. Tsai Mei-Fang
   
   • Representative Works: Lingering Wisteria
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Master's degree in Visual Art Education from National Pingtung University of Education. Former artist-in-residence at Fangliao Art Village; currently Adjunct Lecturer at Meiho University and Honorary Chairperson of the Kaohsiung Fine Arts Research Society. Her work deconstructs and reconstructs plant shadows in memory to explore temporal duration and the rebirth of form.
4. Wang Muti
   
   • Representative Works: Sacred Realm: Alishan, Light of the Madhyamā-pratipad
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Explorer of the "Material School" in contemporary ink painting and art critic. Skilled at liberating ink art from traditional "writing" into "sculpting," breaking two-dimensional limitations. Through a massive 399-centimeter contemporary ink installation, his work sublimates the sacred tree imagery of Alishan into an intensely awe-inspiring and spiritual monument of pilgrimage.
5. Wu Xinhe
   
   • Representative Works: Scattered Bones (I)
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Graduated from the Graduate Institute of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University; recipient of Excellence Awards at the Taiwan Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition and the Grand Prize at the Taipei County Art Exhibition. Spanning writing, performance, and digital multimedia, her works feature gray, black, and white background tones contrasted with vivid red borders, gazing upon the true traces and existential philosophy of life after flesh has faded.
6. Chen Fu-Chi
   
   • Representative Works: Digital Art Heartbeats of Coffee
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Active in the international contemporary ink painting scene, acclaimed as the "Dancer of Ink." Selected to participate in the 24th NAU 21st Century Art Alliance Exhibition in Japan. Abandoning traditional object depiction, he uses line speed, ink density, and bodily rhythm to directly capture life's primordial force and dynamic equilibrium on paper.
7. Chang Su-Lan
   
   • Representative Works: A Blooming Tree
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Master's degree from the Graduate Institute of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University. Her creative inspiration incorporates Japanese philosopher Kitaro Nishida's "Theory of Basho (Place)," treating the tree trunk as a locus and medium bearing the myriad phenomena of life, exploring the composed philosophy of life blooming unyieldingly in profound silence.
8. Wu Ya-Lun
   
   • Representative Works: Symphonic Poem in Blue and Black (Diptych)
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Master's degree from the Graduate Institute of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University. Formerly Supervisor of Taiwan Marine Painting Society, Secretary-General of Taoyuan Fine Arts Association, and President of Huaxin Art Society. Winner of the Bronze Award in Eastern Media Two-Dimensional Category (Classic Media) at the Huilan Art Exhibition, the Innovation Award at the Green Water Awards, and invited exhibitor at the Salon des Indépendants at the Grand Palais in Paris. Skilled at utilizing physical interactions between paper, ink, and mineral pigments, conducting self-reflection and interpretation of life landscapes between black and white, reality and emptiness.
9. Chang Pi-Hsiang
   
   • Representative Works: Crown of All Blooms
   • Biography & Artistic Style: Master's degree in Ink Painting Creation from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University. Former instructor of multimedia painting workshops in New Taipei City and senior art promoter at the Chinese Floral Arts Foundation. Her works combine traditional ink painting heritage with contemporary multimedia visual effects.
10. Chao Yu-Yen
    
    • Representative Works: Fierce Flame
    • Biography & Artistic Style: Master's degree from the Graduate Institute of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University; recipient of Second Prize in Traditional Chinese Painting at the Ministry of Education's Literary and Artistic Creation Awards. Active in Taiwan's ink and contemporary art circles, her work focuses on blending line rhythm with modern visual space, demonstrating a female artist's sensitive, delicate perception and contemporary sensibility.
11. Hsu Hsiu-Chu
    
    • Representative Works: Taroko After the 0403 Earthquake
    • Biography & Artistic Style: Master's degree from the Graduate Institute of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University. Possessing extensive experience, she held a solo exhibition at the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Taoyuan City Government and actively participates in joint exhibitions of prominent art societies such as the Taiwan Marine Painting Society and the Fu Kuan-Fu Calligraphy and Painting Society, with works showcasing the magnificent grandeur of mountains and rivers.
12. Chiang Li-Hsiang
    
    • Representative Works: The Passing Years, Ode to Autumn Sounds
    • Biography & Artistic Style: Master of Fine Arts in Fine Arts Creation from National Taiwan Normal University, mentored by Liu Kuo-song, known as the "Father of Modern Ink Painting." Recipient of awards at the Taipei Contemporary Ink Biennial; her works are held in the collection of National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and she has been invited to exhibit at the Salon des Indépendants at the Grand Palais in Paris and Ink Asia in Hong Kong.
13. Hsieh Wen-Chien
    
    • Representative Works: Awakening from a Dream
    • Biography & Artistic Style: Master of Fine Arts in Fine Arts Creation from National Taiwan Normal University. Her work excels at capturing "fragments of dreams" and sensory logic, guiding viewers into dreamy, subtle visual realms through color blocks born of reality and void and the emergence of night.
14. Kou Shuku-kei
    
    • Representative Works: Gulls Arriving Everywhere (Penghu, Taiwan), Swallowtails and Hoopoes (Kinmen, Taiwan)
    • Biography & Artistic Style: Ph.D. in Ink Painting Creation from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan Normal University; former Adjunct Assistant Professor at National Taipei University of Technology. Lifetime dedicated to ecological ink painting, integrating wild birds, local Taiwanese cultural landscapes, and Indigenous culture. Invited exhibitor at Art Capital at the Grand Palais in Paris.
15. Hsieh Cheng-Yu
    
    • Representative Works: Reflections in the Lotus Pond
    • Biography & Artistic Style: Master's degree in Fine Arts and Crafts Instruction from the Hsinchu Teachers College of Education, National Tsing Hua University. Establishes spiritual space through a unique perceptual philosophy, loosening the viewer's subjectivity via the entanglement of reflections and lotus leaves, allowing viewers to be enveloped by the artwork's spiritual field while viewing.
16. Chou Jo-Mei
    
    • Representative Works: Dance of Flowing Light
    • Biography & Artistic Style: A graduate student in the Master's Program of the Department of Fine Arts, College of Arts, Chinese Culture University. Their artwork predominantly utilizes mixed media, employing abstract forms to express daily pressures and life stories under the passage of time, featuring delicate lines and a color style defined by soft light and shadow.
      • Creative Style & Media Usage: Skilled at utilizing mixed media for contemporary art creation.
      • Artistic Themes: Expressing the sense of pressure from busy daily routines and the flow of time through abstract techniques.
      • Visual Presentation: Vibrant yet soft and gentle colors, harmonized with delicate lines and flowing light and shadow.

Conclusion: An Artistic Dialogue Across a Century

The impressive debut of the Taiwanese delegation on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum is not only a successful cross-border exhibition, but also a profound showcase of Taiwanese contemporary artistic discourse on the international stage. From the giant trees of Alishan to the gulls of Penghu, and from discussions on life philosophy to the deconstruction of Eastern ink art, the dynamic resonance between Taiwanese artists and Japanese modern artists sharing the same space writes a vibrant, splendid new page in cultural exchange between the two nations.

Exhibition Information

• Exhibition Name: The 14th Tokyo Genzenten (Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum 100th Anniversary Commemoration)
• Dates: August 5, 2026 – August 12, 2026 (8 days total)
• Hours: Daily 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM (Closes at 1:00 PM on the final day)
• Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Entrance Hall Floor, Gallery No. 4 (8-36 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0007, Japan)