Bold claim: Getting lost in a museum can be exhilarating, and Taichung’s new art complex makes that idea feel intentional, even thrilling. The Taichung Art Museum, a fresh addition to central Taiwan, unfolds as eight tilted buildings that fuse a civic library with a modern art space. Designed by the renowned Japanese firm Sanaa, the project wraps the structures in a silvery mesh and features soaring ceilings, winding walkways, and a deliberately nonuniform layout that invites exploration.
Beyond the lobby—a bright, breezy zone that blurs the line between indoor and outdoor—the paths loop through diverse spaces. A door might lead you onto a skybridge above a rooftop garden with sweeping views of Taichung’s Central Park, or into a snug teenage reading room. Exterior staircases jut out, and each floor varies in height to suit the function and mood of its space. It’s a deliberate design choice that slows you down and encourages curiosity rather than a linear, predictable path.
We’re told by Lan Yu-hua, an associate researcher at the museum, that getting lost should be embraced: “We say that getting lost is good.” This philosophy mirrors the building’s intent to dissolve borders between library and gallery, letting visitors meander through a blended cultural experience.
The project is municipal in origin and marks Taiwan’s ongoing trend of ambitious, architecturally bold cultural spaces opened over the past two decades. Sanaa’s leadership—headed by Pritzker Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa—extends beyond Taiwan, with notable works including the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Sydney Modern Gallery. For Taichung, they collaborated with Ricky Liu & Associates Architects+Planners on a six-year construction funded by the city government, which simply asked for an art museum and a library on the same site.
The result erases the traditional boundaries between the library and the art museum and creates a space that slows visitors down, guiding them to linger in reading rooms just as long as in galleries. The museum’s director, Yi-Hsin Lai, expresses optimism: integrating the library broadens access to diverse audiences who might not otherwise visit an art-focused institution.
The inaugural exhibition is a blend of commissions and newly acquired works from around the world. South Korean artist Haegue Yang and Taiwanese artist Michael Lin contribute pieces that reflect regional motifs—the banyan tree, fireflies, and the interplay of light with industrial materials—while a 27-meter-high central atrium hosts Yang’s installation, its light visible from afar when illuminated at night.
A broader opening show titled A Call of All Beings features a curated mix from 20 countries, pairing mid-20th-century Taiwanese masters with contemporary video works. Curators also secured early sketches of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and archival photographs of Helen Keller, underscoring the collection’s ambitious breadth.
A core emphasis is on Taiwanese and Taichung-based artists, with a deliberate focus on disability inclusion. This aligns with contemporary conversations about accessibility in the arts and alongside recent milestones, such as the Turner Prize recognition for Nnena Kalu, the first artist with a learning disability to win the prize.
The museum opens to the public on December 13, drawing international attention and a local audience alike. While Taiwan’s global profile often centers on geopolitics, the country’s cultural scene is gaining momentum, with events like Art Taipei and the Taipei Biennial drawing growing crowds. Over the past several years, commentators have described Taiwan’s art scene as undergoing a vibrant transformation and expanding its international footprint.
For Taiwan’s art sector, this museum represents a chance to elevate the island’s presence on the world stage and to decentralize cultural influence from Taipei. Taichung, Taiwan’s second-largest city, sits a convenient high-speed rail ride away from the capital and already hosts a respected Museum of Fine Arts as well as a growing private gallery scene, though it has historically attracted fewer international visitors.
As Lai puts it, the city’s cultural life is dynamic and increasingly vibrant, with the hope that Taichung will emerge as a landmark Asian arts city in the coming years. Claudia Chen, chair of the Taiwan Art Gallery Association, describes the project as a potential game changer that shifts attention southward, while Jenny Yeh of the Winsing Arts Foundation notes that Sanaa’s involvement has boosted international interest and encouraged visitors to explore Taiwan beyond Taipei. Overall, the museum is expected to amplify Taiwan’s visibility and deepen visitors’ understanding of the country’s broader cultural landscape.
Additional reporting by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu.
