Navigating the recently inaugurated Taichung Art Museum in the heart of Taiwan feels like engaging with a living sculpture. Created by the celebrated Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, the structure comprises eight deliberately askew buildings that artfully blend an art museum with a public library. Wrapped in shimmering, mesh-like silver walls, the interior boasts vast vertical spaces and meandering pathways.
Beyond the open lobby—a space that defies categorization—visitors stroll along paths and ramps, discovering they are in a library one moment and a top-tier art exhibition the next. A portal might unexpectedly lead a skybridge crossing over a rooftop garden, granting sweeping panoramas of Taichung’s Central Park, or into a intimate teenage reading nook. Floating staircases cling on building exteriors, and floor levels vary intentionally, complementing each space’s unique purpose and vibe rather than adhering to a rigid, standardized design.
“It is ‘easy to get lost in’,” notes Lan Yu-hua, an associate researcher at the museum, chuckling. But she argues that’s part of the intended experience: “We say that getting lost is good.”
This city-funded initiative stands as the newest in a string of ambitiously designed museums and performance venues established across Taiwan over the past two decades.
A Visionary Collaboration
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 worked alongside the Taiwanese firm Ricky Liu & Associates Architects+Planners on the six-year construction. The Taichung city government’s initial brief was for an art museum and a library on a single site.
The final result has dissolved the borders between the two institutions. The design encourages visitors to slow down, imagining a day spent reading or working in the library, interspersed with leisurely walks through halls of art.
“We are extremely pleased that we are with the library under one roof, 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 new installations by renowned South Korean artist Haegue Yang and Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. Yang’s major piece offers an abstract interpretation on the banyan trees and fireflies found throughout Taiwan and Korea. Hanging from the 27-meter-high central atrium, it blends her signature venetian blinds with lights and steel frames. At night, the glowing light from her work shines through the exterior mesh from a kilometer away.
The larger opening exhibition, titled A Call of All Beings, is an varied but harmonious mix of new installations and recent acquisitions by artists from 20 countries. Curated by an international team, it juxtaposes master painters from mid-20th century Taiwan alongside postmodern video works. In a impressive feat, the curators also obtained original early sketches from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and archival photographs of Helen Keller.
The exhibition prioritizes Taiwanese artists, with a focus on those from Taichung. There is also a dedicated focus on including artists with disabilities—a relevant initiative.
Boosting the Island’s Artistic Stature
For Taiwan’s art sector, this new museum represents a major chance to raise Taiwan’s presence in the global art scene and further “decentralize” cultural focus from the capital, Taipei. Taichung, the island’s biggest metropolitan area outside Taipei, is a short, easy trip from Taipei and is home to 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 major hub for the arts in Asia,” 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 scale and importance of Taipei,” Chen notes.
Another arts foundation executive, Jenny Yeh, points out that Sanaa’s involvement has drawn international attention and amplified Taiwan’s existing artistic momentum. “This will encourage more international visitors to explore beyond Taipei and develop a more complete understanding of Taiwan’s cultural landscape. Overall, it will be a tremendous help to Taiwan’s visibility on the global stage.”
The museum officially opens its doors in mid-December, expecting a primarily local audience, at least initially, alongside visiting international press and museum professionals.
