The Taipei Dangdai Art & Ideas Fair is back, showcasing works from Taiwan and around the world. We look at some of the pieces inspired by the destructive forces of human activity and nature along Taiwan's east coast.
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00:00A menagerie of uncanny concrete animals, unearthed from their mountain graves and brought to
00:08a scenic beach here in Taiwan, giving a second life to strange relics of urban decay.
00:30Taiwanese artist Chou Chien-hung's Concrete Animals is one of several pieces featured
00:37in a special exhibit co-hosted by Taiwan's Culture Ministry at this year's Taipei Dundai
00:43Art Fair.
00:45The works in this exhibit take inspiration from human and environmental catastrophe,
00:50depicting the results of the collapse of the built and natural world around us.
00:55Titled Before Thunder, the theme of the exhibit is particularly pertinent in the wake of the
01:00huge earthquake that struck Hualien in April.
01:03Chou, a Hualien native, takes inspiration from the beauty and destructive forces of
01:09nature.
01:25Meanwhile, artist Pan Xinhua, who also has a deep affinity with Taiwan's rugged east
01:51coast, displays a very different kind of art.
02:21Pan says over the years painting Taiwan's landscapes, he's noticed the environment
02:25changing, and not just due to natural disasters.
02:39Despite urbanization, Pan says work is being done to protect Taiwan's remaining natural
02:44environment.
02:59Inspired by the destructive forces of the environment and human activity, many exhibits
03:03at this year's Dundai Art Fair serve as a reminder of the delicate and temporary nature
03:09of the world around us.
03:11John Su and Rhys Ayres for Taiwan Plus.