Arts-in-Residence Taipei (AIR Taipei) provides a platform for diverse cultural collaboration across artistic disciplines throughout the globe. The capital of Taiwan, Taipei is AIR’S base encouraging professional artists exchanges between Taiwanese and international artists. These interactions help create intercultural and interdisciplinary dialogues that resonate between communities and individuals long after the artist’s residence is completed.

Three locations of the Villages

AIR Taipei is the umbrella organization overseeing three very different and unique artists-in-residence sites around the city. The Taipei Artist Village was establishment in 2001 by the Department of Taipei Cultural Affairs and has been developing relationships linking the artists exchange program with cities throughout the world. In 2008, Grass Mountain Arts Village became operational and in 2010, the third site Treasure Hill Artist Village, a historical architectural community, was launched. All three sites complement each other through diverse landscape, scale and location yet each site helps place the arts firmly in the cultural sights for a local and international audience.

Located in central Taipei the Taipei Artist Village is a great spot for artists to explore the urban landscape and offers easy access to activities and institutions throughout the city; Grass Mountain Artist Village sits just outside the city surrounds overlooking Taipei in the Yangmingshan National Park. With the energy of its spectacular natural ecology GAV offers artists an environment that stimulates creativity in meditative surrounds; Treasure Hill Artist Village is located in a special enclave in Taipei with its own history being part of the first wave of buildings in Taipei. It follows the idea of “paragenesis” creating dialogues between artists and the wider community providing the arts a social space for interacting and expressing ideas. 

Cultivation of the Villages

1. Artists-in-Residence and Artists Exchange Program      AIR Taipei has developed a systematic artist selection scheme that provides the platform for artists to connect with the local and international community.

The scheme includes: 1) Open Call for both Taiwan and international artists 2) Sister Cities Artists Program 3) New Immigrants Art Program for Southeast Asian artists and 4) Artist Exchange Program with global partner institutions.

By December 2011, 278artists from 45countrieshad taken the residence in AIR Taipei while 116 Taiwanese artists had been taken residences abroadin 32 cities of the world through Artists Exchange Program.

Over the years, AIR Taipei has taken on a lead role in nourishing the arts by providing opportunities for artists’ projects and residencies throughout the world as well as bringing into Taipei the intercultural aspirations of a global community

2. Exhibitions, performances and workshops     Resident artists bring diversity to all three villages by creating challenging artworks and performances. Visual and performing art is regularly presented to the general community in the form of solo shows, group exhibitions and performances. All these artistic avenues help to activate discussion and ideas between local and international artists. Along with education programs, this combination of artists and community infuses surprises into the neighborhood and across the entire city.

“Artists Open Studio” offers audience an insight into the artists’ creativity by opening the doors of their studios for a weekend and letting the artist talk about their inspirations.

Children’s workshops help kids to feel and appreciate art spontaneously. Both resident international artists and teachers offer different cultural perspectives leading the children to expand their view of the world and increase racial tolerance. The three villages welcome reservations for guided group tours and fun educational workshops!

Prospect of the Villages

1. Artists-in-Residence – Interacting locally        AIR Taipei actively invites local communities to participate in the creative process either physically by volunteering or to attend an event. Activities are carried out locally and plugged back into the city.

2. Activating spaces – Conversing with the city        By activating diverse spaces throughout the city artists can, together with the cultural input of AIR Taipei, bring about an intercity conversation between Taipei and international cities helping to enhance the understanding of each other.

A “village” not a “museum”

A village is a community of people living and working together all calling the same place HOME. All three villages within AIR Taipei contain artist studios for living and working, support administration, performance venues and exhibition spaces. Rather than collecting and displaying objects AIR Taipei believes that ‘Work in Progress’ is a truly humane and engaging vision. In fact AIR Taipei is, as an organization, exactly this – a work in progress!