By Eryk Michael Smith/Pingtung County Govt.
PINGTUNG — Officials are hopeful about the prospects of a long-dormant industrial site in Pingtung (屏東) becoming one of southern Taiwan’s most ambitious new art spaces.
The Pingtung Art Museum (屏東縣立美術館) was once Warehouse No. 14 at the former Pingtung Tobacco Factory (屏菸). On Friday, March 27, it reopens as part of the Pingtung 1936 Cultural Base, another milestone in the county’s journey to turn its industrial heritage into facilities that serve the public.
County Magistrate Chou Chun-mi (周春米) got an early look this week, walking through the space with architect Shih Chao-yung (石昭永) and curator Hsu Yuan-ta (許遠達). The idea for the new art space keeps the bones of the factory, layers in contemporary design, and lets the contrast do the work.
The opening exhibitions lean both locally and outward. A major collection show, Dayongkan Shore (大湧崁岸), pulls together more than 160 works tied to Pingtung’s geography and cultural identity, while a separate international exhibition adds contemporary Japanese artists. There’s also pieces and cooperation from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (國立臺灣美術館), Taipei Fine Arts Museum (臺北市立美術館), and Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts (高雄市立美術館).
One of the quieter highlights is Woman of Sandimen (山地門社之女) by Chen Chin (陳進), a key figure in Taiwan’s early modern art scene. The work is on loan from the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (福岡亞洲美術館), and because of its fragility, it will only be displayed for a few hours each day.
Architecturally, the high ceilings, exposed structure, and a central corridor lined with suspended glass display cases give the spot a slightly surreal feeling, some say, describing it as “industrial memory with a facelift.”
With opening events taking place from Friday through the weekend, Pingtung County is getting a new landmark, one that treasures its past.
Source: Pingtung County Government (屏東縣政府)
