The National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA) presents the 2020 Taiwan Biennial, a biennial festival shedding a new light on the contemporary art in Taiwan. Curated by Taiwanese artist Yao Jui-Chung, the 2020 Taiwan Biennial launches with the main theme of “Subzoology,” based on the “Buddhist path of reincarnation into animals” as its entry point. The Biennial seeks to cogitate upon the long-term human plunderage and dominance over natural creatures as well as to reflect on how humans can co-exist with other sentient beings in the post-pandemic era from the angle of fields of science, art and philosophy looking upon the relationships between humans and animals, insofar as to echo and extend the ecological and environmental issues in the Anthropocene that have come under the spotlight at many international biennials. A total of 49 new-generation artists/artist groups’ works are exhibited and 96 out of the total of 201 exhibits are newly created; a proportion larger than those in previous editions. In addition to the record-breaking proportion, another highlight of this year’s exhibition is that all participating artists are invited for the first time to the 2020 Taiwan Biennial. It is also the very first time for the NTMoFA to stage satellite events and collateral events in collaboration with art spaces outside Central Taiwan, which greatly extends the biennial’s transdisciplinary horizons and create a new methodology of curation for the Taiwan Biennial.

“Subzoology: 2020 Taiwan Biennial” derives seven subthemes (i.e., “Sacrifice and Salvation,” “The Sub-history of Wildlife Trade,” “Portrait of Unknown Heroes,” “Laboratory/Operating Room/Specimen Room,” “Festivals/Sandbanks/Green Coverage Ratio,” “Beast Mimic/Torured Beastnoid,” and “Habitat/Zoo/National Park”) and “Performance & Live Art/Multimedia-Installation & Performance.” Closely bound to the theme of the exhibition, all these participating artists/artist groups have first-hand experiences in Taiwan, and expand the new possibilities of their creative media and personal observation, giving voice to the exploited ecology and environment by means of various forms such as visual arts, sound art, and performance art. During the exhibition period, there will also be other forums, lectures & talks, regular guides, expert guided tours and workshops, etc., with participating artists and curator sharing their creative experiences and interpreting curatorial concepts. The artistic momentum of the “2020 Taiwan Biennale” will not stop. For details please refer to the official websites as well as the Facebook fan pages of the NTMoFA and the 2020 Taiwan Biennial.