Exhibition on Tainan River Basin to Take Place at Tainan Art Museum from July to October

TAINAN, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Tainan City Government, the exhibition titled “We Are Born by the River: Collaborative Notes of Millennium River Basin Culture” will take place from July 9 to October 13 at Tainan Art Museum Building 2. Featuring 50 groups of artists at home and abroad, in collaboration with local citizens, teachers and students, cultural workers, and non-profit organizations, this exhibition presents Tainan City’s 400-year hydrological history through photographs, animations, artworks created with natural materials, and AR technology. It invites audiences to reflect on the issues concerning biodiversity and human activities.

Director-general Hsieh Shih-yuan of the Cultural Affairs of Bureau of Tainan City Government noted that Tainan, Taiwan’s ancient capital, is situated near the sea and has many rivers and streams both on and below its surface. He added that the city is also the starting point of the Chianan Irrigation Waterway, Asia’s largest water distribution facility in the early 20th century. The complex water-human interaction in this area has molded people’s lives and shaped their unique culture. This exhibition will showcase Tainan’s rich water history and urbanization, allowing the visitors to explore how mankind can respond to future challenges, especially on pressing issues such as climate change and sustainable development.

Project Director and Chief Curator Gong Jow-Jiun said this exhibition, besides exploring artistic works and projects questioning “We Are Born By The River,” will devote more than half of its energy to collaborative explorations, co-writing and mapping, co-creating dialogues, and forming an international network of symbiosis among citizens of all levels, elementary and secondary schools, community colleges, NPOs, and international experts and artists (from the Netherlands, Malaysia, Japan, and Indonesia). It aims to trace back the modern urban water body experiences of Tainan 400 to the millennia-long multicultural co-writing with diverse species. Through thousands of habitat stories and life experiences that come from the river, it directs towards the global extreme climate scenarios and the survival situations of the Anthropocene, creating a cultural and art exhibition with an action-oriented initiative and sustainable features.

We Are Born by the River: Collaborative Notes of Millennium River Basin Culture
Date: July 9 – October 13, 2024
Venue: First floor, Tainan Art Museum Building 2