‘Embrace the Maze’: Elevated Walkways and Suspended Steps Add Excitement and Adventure to Mighty New Taiwan Museum.
Navigating the recently inaugurated Taichung Art Museum in central Taiwan feels like exploring an abstract concept. The brainchild of the renowned Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, the structure comprises eight unconventionally angled buildings that seamlessly merge an art museum with a public library. Wrapped in shimmering, mesh-like silver walls, the interior boasts dramatically high roofs and meandering pathways.
Beyond the breezy lobby—a space that defies categorization—visitors drift along paths and ramps, finding themselves in a library one moment and a world-class art exhibition the next. A entry might guide one onto a overhead passage suspended above a rooftop garden, granting sweeping panoramas of Taichung’s Central Park, or into a cozy teenage reading nook. Steps seem to hang on building exteriors, and floor levels are deliberately disparate, serving each space’s unique purpose and vibe rather than adhering to a rigid, overall consistency.
“It is ‘simple to lose your way within’,” notes Lan Yu-hua, an associate researcher at the museum, amused. But she argues that’s something to embrace: “We say that losing your way is positive.”
This civic undertaking stands as the latest in a succession of prominent museums and performance venues unveiled across Taiwan over the past two decades.
A Meeting of Architectural Minds
Led by 2010 Pritzker Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa—the duo behind the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Sydney Modern gallery—Sanaa partnered with the Taiwanese firm Ricky Liu & Associates Architects+Planners on the multi-year build. The Taichung city government’s original request was for an art museum and a library on a single site.
The completed project has dissolved the borders between the two institutions. The design prompts one to slow down, easily picturing a day spent studying or creating in the library, punctuated by leisurely walks through halls of art.
“We are truly delighted that we are with the library in a shared space, because I think that can really open up another layer of audiences for us,” states Yi-Hsin Lai, the museum’s director.
Launch Shows with International Flair
The museum’s opening program feature specially created pieces by acclaimed South Korean artist Haegue Yang and Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. Yang’s major piece offers an abstract interpretation on the banyan trees and fireflies ubiquitous in Taiwan and Korea. Suspended within the 27-meter-high central atrium, it blends her signature venetian blinds with lights and steel frames. At night, the luminous emission from her work shines through the exterior mesh from far across the city.
The larger opening exhibition, titled A Call of All Beings, is an varied but harmonious mix of commissioned works and newly acquired pieces by artists from 20 countries. Organized by an international team, it juxtaposes master painters from mid-20th century Taiwan alongside postmodern video works. In a impressive feat, the curators also sourced original early sketches from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and archival photographs of Helen Keller.
The exhibition prioritizes Taiwanese artists, particularly those from Taichung. There is also a particular effort on including artists with disabilities—a poignant initiative.
Elevating Taiwan’s Cultural Profile
For Taiwan’s art sector, this new museum represents a significant opportunity to increase international recognition in the global art scene and further “decentralize” cultural focus from the capital, Taipei. Taichung, the island’s second-largest city, is a brief commute from Taipei and already hosts a respected Museum of Fine Arts and a expanding sector of private galleries. However, it has historically struggled to attract international art tourists.
“It’s quite energetic and lively now. We hope that in a few years Taichung can be an recognized Asian cultural destination,” expresses Director Lai.
Claudia Chen, chair of a major Taiwanese art association, describes the new museum as a potential “gamechanger” for the country, “redirecting attention from the north to south.”
“While Taichung and southern Taiwan have had many arts and cultural events in the past, none have reached the magnitude and significance of Taipei,” Chen notes.
Another arts foundation executive, Jenny Yeh, remarks that Sanaa’s involvement has drawn international attention and amplified Taiwan’s existing artistic momentum. “This will motivate more international visitors to explore beyond Taipei and gain a fuller sense of Taiwan’s cultural landscape. Overall, it will be a tremendous help to Taiwan’s visibility on the global stage.”
The museum commences public operations in mid-December, anticipating a overwhelmingly domestic audience, at least initially, alongside visiting international press and museum professionals.
