Taiwan artworks at Canadian museum exhibition point to spiritual dimension

THE PROVINCE
By Stuart Derdeyn

Walis Labai’s Whispering with Spirits is a 2014 video work

CANADA---The island nation of Taiwan hosts one of Asia’s most dynamic multicultural societies. Besides the 16 officially recognized aboriginal tribal groups, ethnic Han, Hakka and Koklo and other mainland Chinese colonists, there is also a legacy from the Japanese rule (1895 — 1945) as well as earlier Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch occupations. It all adds up to a fascinating mix in the country’s contemporary art which forms the focus of the new Museum of Anthropology exhibition titled (In) visible: "The Spiritual World of Taiwan Through Contemporary Art. "[link]