At the 2023 edition of Taipei Dangdai. Image courtesy of Taipei Dangdai. Taipei Dangdai is now in its fourth year. The fair was held at Nangang Exhibition Center in eastern Taipei, the same venue that hosted the first edition in 2019, before the pandemic. We took the MRT from the city center and arrived in a little over half an hour. Local friends told us that Nangang had once been desolate; it was the exhibition center and the fair that finally brought the area to life.
At the 2023 edition of Taipei Dangdai. Ninety galleries from around the world took part this year, matching the number that participated in the inaugural edition. Many gallery owners remarked on the scene: at last, it felt like the first fair again. We were also fortunate to see Hsu Fang-yi, Mark Chao, and Takashi Murakami. International blue-chip galleries including Gagosian, Whitestone Gallery, and David Zwirner all returned. First-time participants included ShanghART and KÖNIG GALERIE, which together accounted for one-third of the exhibitors. Local galleries such as Each Modern and TINA KENG GALLERY brought a strong selection of Taiwanese artists.
At the 2023 edition of Taipei Dangdai. We spent 2 days at the fair and spoke with 18 galleries, hearing a range of revealing observations: “If you ask whether I sold out on the first day, then clearly you don’t understand Taiwanese collectors. They absolutely will not buy something they haven’t taken the time to understand.”
“Collectors in Taiwan seem extremely gracious. They line up voluntarily to see exhibitions, and the pace of the fair feels comfortable.” In the eyes of the gallery owners, Taipei Dangdai seemed to possess a particular sense of accumulated experience. Compared with collectors elsewhere, those in Taiwan appeared more cautious and more intuitive. They valued an emotional connection with the work and were willing to spend more time learning and exchanging ideas. What is Taiwan’s art market like? What do its collectors prefer? Here, gallery owners share their observations from the fair.
UBS Art Collection Lounge, exhibition view: Jakob Kudsk Steensen, Clearing, 2020, 2D single-channel video, 12 minutes. UBS Art Collection. Courtesy of the artist. (The galleries below are listed alphabetically by their English names.) Asia Art Center. Founded in 1982, Asia Art Center also maintains a physical space in Taipei and is already familiar to many Taiwanese collectors. For this fair, it brought 13 artists from China, Spain, Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including Ding Xiongquan, Chuang Che, Ju Ming, and Li Chen.
Ma Yu-Ting, director of exhibitions at Asia Art Center, told us that both the media and collectors seemed to have come primarily for Ju Ming. One of Taiwan’s best-known sculptors, Ju Ming died unexpectedly at home on April 23, and interest in his work has consequently been especially high. So far, sales have been strong. Asia Art Center booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Taiwanese artist Li Chen has been represented exclusively worldwide by Asia Art Center for more than 20 years. His recent solo exhibition in Taipei had just closed, and his work also drew considerable attention at the fair.
Asia Art Center booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Ma Yu-Ting also noted that artists who are highly sought after internationally and sell quickly at other fairs may require a period of adjustment in Taiwan. Even so, most of the artists Asia Art Center brought this time were international artists with strong potential whom the gallery had been developing over the past 2 to 3 years, including Freya Douglas-Morris, Florence Hutchings, Alejandro Acosta, Kayla Mattes, and Carlo D’Anselmi, as well as mid-career artists such as Guy Yanai. Their sales were generally quite good.
Axel Vervoordt Gallery. This was Axel Vervoordt Gallery’s second appearance at Taipei Dangdai. It brought works by the Chinese artists Shen Chen and Lin Lan, along with works by important European and American artists, including George Rickey, a pioneer of American kinetic sculpture. Mexican artist Bosco Sodi and the late German artist Raimund Girke made their Taipei debuts, attracting considerable attention.
Axel Vervoordt Gallery booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Local Taiwanese collectors were already relatively familiar with the gallery’s Japanese Gutai artists, including Tsuyoshi Maekawa, Yuko Nasaka, and Chiyu Uemae. The booth received many inquiries, and some works sold on the first day. Works by Chinese artist Shen Chen were also repeatedly requested. Axel Vervoordt Gallery booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Boris Vervoordt, the gallery’s founder and director, observed that collectors of every age were present, with varied tastes and considerable enthusiasm for new artists.
“Many Taiwanese collectors come from families that have collected for several generations. They have deep knowledge and already understand some of the artists represented by galleries—especially the Gutai artists. They not only began collecting early, but have continued to follow these artists’ exhibitions and development.” Ben Brown Fine Arts. The gallery made its Taipei Dangdai debut with works by major modern and contemporary artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Gerhard Richter, Andy Warhol, Tony Bevan, Yoan Capote, and Robert Indiana, who is known for his LOVE sculpture.
Ben Brown Fine Arts booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. By that point, most of the works on the booth had been placed on reserve, while several others were still under discussion. Sabrina Hung, who heads the gallery, exclaimed, “There are really a lot of Taiwanese collectors!” She felt that younger collectors tended to prefer works with vivid colors and cheerful imagery, while older collectors were more interested in 20th-century abstraction.
“Taiwanese collectors are more cautious about buying. They need a little more time to think.” BLINDSPOT GALLERY. Founded in Hong Kong in 2010, BLINDSPOT GALLERY was entering the Taiwanese market for the first time. In the “Nova” section, it presented a solo exhibition by the Hong Kong artist Zheng Yanyin, born in the 1990s—her first solo exhibition outside Hong Kong. Most of the works were made last year and this year, and concerned the artist’s observations of Hong Kong’s people, culture, and natural environment. The artist was present and told us the moving story behind the green-clad women in her paintings.
BLINDSPOT GALLERY booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Qin Meina, the gallery’s founder, said she hoped the opportunity would allow her to meet more Taiwanese collectors and learn about the country’s contemporary art market. After 2 days of observation, she found that both Taiwanese visitors and collectors were patient and eager to exchange ideas. “It may have something to do with the character of the city. Compared with Hong Kong, people in Taiwan are less hurried. They’re more willing to take their time to understand and learn.”
David Zwirner. David Zwirner has participated in Taipei Dangdai for 4 consecutive years. This year’s presentation was again wide-ranging, with works by 14 artists, including Giorgio Morandi, Alice Neel, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Robert Ryman.
Xu Yu, the gallery’s director in Hong Kong, said that works by Robert Ryman and Alice Neel had drawn particularly high interest. David Zwirner booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. In speaking with collectors at the fair, Xu found that most were local Taiwanese, followed by collectors from Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, with fewer from Southeast Asia. In his view, Taiwan’s contemporary art market is both distinctive and substantial. Its collectors are discreet. “Collectors here have usually inherited wealth over several generations. Many once collected antiques and gradually moved into contemporary art. They have their own aesthetic preferences when it comes to contemporary art.
“When they encounter artists whose work is relatively obscure, they may need more time to understand it. Decisions come faster with work that is bright and accessible.” Each Modern. Founded in Taipei in 2018, Each Modern is a young local gallery that has participated in all 4 editions of Taipei Dangdai. This year it prepared an expansive group exhibition featuring artists including Hilo Chen, Wu MeiChi, Antonia Kuo, Egan Frantz, and Antone Könst. The presentation ranged from postwar figures to emerging artists, and occupied a prominent booth.
Each Modern booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Image courtesy of Each Modern. By the afternoon of the second day, works by the Chinese American artist Hilo Chen were nearly sold out. Chen is highly popular in both Taiwan and the United States; as early as the mid-1980s, he was almost selling each painting as soon as he made it. A Shanghai collector who was not at the fair saw Beach145 in the online catalogue and purchased it immediately. At the fair, the gallery had painted the section devoted to Chen’s work sky blue, echoing the bikini-clad women reclining on beaches in his paintings.
Hilo Chen works at the Each Modern booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Lin Yi-Hsuan works at the Each Modern booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Works by Taiwanese artists Wu MeiChi and Lin Yi-Hsuan, as well as small oil paintings on paper by the American artist Antone Könst, born in the 1990s, were also popular. In an interview, the gallery’s founder, Huang Ya-Chi, noted that although more young collectors were entering the market, experienced collectors remained the main buyers.
Regardless of age, Taiwanese collectors were interested in works with a strong sense of the East and an emphatic painterly quality, as well as works by Chinese American artists.
“Taiwanese collectors pay close attention to a work’s story and like pieces that resonate with them. That’s why they’re willing to spend time studying what they collect and understanding the emotions behind it.” GAGOSIAN. The international blue-chip gallery made its third appearance at Taipei Dangdai, presenting works by more than 20 artists, including Louise Bonnet, Damien Hirst, Anna Weyant, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, and Zeng Fanzhi.
Gagosian booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Video by Huang Tai-Cheng. You Xiao, Gagosian’s representative for China, said in an interview that several works had been reserved before the fair opened. Yayoi Kusama’s work was the presentation’s major focus, and many visitors came to photograph themselves with it. Infinity Nets drew repeated inquiries. Zeng Fanzhi, Untitled, 2012, oil on canvas, 78 3/4 × 78 3/4 inches (200 × 200 cm) © 2023 Zeng Fanzhi. Takashi Murakami, Wednesday on Mars, 2023 © 2023 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Zeng Fanzhi’s “Wild Cursive” series was another focal point. The 3 works by Takashi Murakami brought to the fair had all been reserved before the opening, with many inquiries coming from collectors born in the 1990s. Murakami himself attended on the first VIP day.
Galleria Continua. One of the world’s leading galleries, Galleria Continua was participating in Taipei Dangdai for the fourth time. It brought new and historically important works by 11 artists, with a particular focus on Antony Gormley, whose latest solo exhibition was then on view at the Xihai Art Museum in Qingdao. Tobias Rehberger, Daniel Buren, Anish Kapoor, Hans Op de Beeck, and Adel Abdessemed were also among the artists the gallery strongly recommended.
Galleria Continua booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. In an interview, the gallery’s director, Peng Yongyi, said Taiwanese collectors had a deep understanding of famous artists and were also fascinated by academically rigorous practices. Chen Zhen, the late Shanghai-born artist who lived and worked in France, was one example. Audiences were receptive to a broad range of subjects. She also told us, “Taiwanese visitors are extremely gracious. The way they queue to see exhibitions and relate to the work is very respectful.
“We are also confident about the future development of Taiwan’s market.” Chen Zhen works at the Galleria Continua booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Mario Cristiani, the gallery’s founder and chairman of the Continua Foundation for Contemporary Art, told us about meeting Antony Gormley. They became acquainted almost by chance; at first, Mario had never imagined that he would have any professional connection with Gormley.
“We simply became friends at first sight—we clicked.” Gormley had recently held a large-scale solo exhibition at the Xihai Art Museum in Qingdao, China, which attracted extraordinary attention. Antony Gormley, Connection, 2012, cast iron, 58 × 47 × 129 cm, unique edition. © The artist and Galleria Continua. Cristiani considers Antony a true major figure in the art world. “His work is deeply moving and astonishing,” he said, before joking with us: “A lot of people don’t believe that I’m not making money from the Xihai exhibition, but it’s true!
“Not a single work in the exhibition is for sale. Although preparing the show has caused me daily anguish, its value and significance for the exhibition itself are extraordinary.” INK Studio. The Beijing gallery was participating in Taipei Dangdai for the second time, bringing contemporary ink works by 6 artists—Bingyi, Zheng Guanghui, Ma Wen, Lao Tongli, Ding Qiao, and Kang Chunhui—in markedly different styles. INK Studio booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. The Buddhist conceptual art of the Korean artist Zheng Guanghui, born in the 1970s, and the neoclassical landscape paintings of Bingyi, who lives and works between Beijing and Los Angeles, were especially popular.
Within the first 15 minutes of the fair, Bingyi’s Linquan Gaozhi was acquired by an American academic institution. Two other works from the same series were reserved by collectors from Taiwan and Europe. INK Studio booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Yu Guoliang, the gallery’s co-founder and director, said Taiwanese collectors often needed more time to confirm their feelings. “If you ask me whether I sold out on the first day, then clearly you don’t understand Taiwanese collectors.
“They are patient and take collecting very seriously. They have to understand a work before they will buy it.” Taiwan’s geographic position also influences collectors’ tastes, often allowing them to combine Eastern and Western aesthetics, as well as classical and popular elements, with particular ease. KÖNIG GALERIE. Founded in Berlin, Germany, in 2002, KÖNIG GALERIE was participating in Taipei Dangdai for the first time. Its presentation focused on two Japanese women artists who are highly regarded in Taiwan—Chiharu Shiota and Ayako Rokkaku—as well as Wang Qianyao, a popular Chinese female artist born in the 1990s.
Wang Jiangnan, the gallery’s Asia sales representative, said that many Taiwanese collectors may have been strongly influenced by Japan. “We signed Chiharu Shiota in 2020 and felt that local Taiwanese collectors would like her, so we brought her.” KÖNIG GALERIE booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Wang Qianyao’s work is popular in Germany and in the international art market, so the gallery brought one painting especially to gauge the response from Taiwanese collectors.
“And indeed, many collectors came to inquire,” she said. Wang Jiangnan believes that “Taiwan has a deep collecting culture, and its collectors are willing to learn. We also want to introduce more international artists to them.” Lehmann Maupin. This was Lehmann Maupin’s third Taipei Dangdai. It brought new works by 8 artists, including Chantal Joffe, Kim Taek Sang, Gilbert & George, Lari Pittman, Do Ho Suh, and Erwin Wurm, in a range of media including painting, sculpture, photography, and installation.
Lehmann Maupin booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. The section with pink walls was devoted to Erwin Wurm, including an interactive installation that especially encouraged visitors to stop and engage. Two works by Do Ho Suh, along with new works by Gilbert & George and Lari Pittman, were other highlights. Lehmann Maupin booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. By the afternoon of the second day, several works priced above $85,000 had sold, and more high-priced works were under discussion.
Shasha, the gallery’s director, said, “Taiwan has a very distinctive art ecosystem and a powerful network of collectors. Many important local collectors, along with their children, are driving the contemporary art market here.” LIN & LIN GALLERY. LIN & LIN GALLERY has not missed a single edition of Taipei Dangdai, participating for 4 consecutive years. In an interview, the gallery’s head, Lin Dai-Wei, said, “Taiwan’s art market is in a very positive phase of development.
“From the first VIP day, large numbers of people came through. After the pandemic, everyone may be experiencing a kind of pent-up spending, and sales were very strong from the first day.” LIN & LIN GALLERY booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. The gallery brought works by artists including Chen Dao-Ming, Chen Chieh-Jen, Lai Chiu-Chen, Huang Chia-Ning, Shen Liang, Zhao Zhao, and Liu Shih-Tung. Every artist was well received, with Taiwanese artists Huang Chia-Ning and Lai Chiu-Chen standing out in particular.
LIN & LIN GALLERY booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Lin Dai-Wei especially recommended Huang Chia-Ning’s latest work, Paper Clip, made this year. An unremarkable object becomes monumental through enlargement and repetition, creating a striking image.
“From a distance it looks like a paper clip; up close, it resembles a musical instrument. It is both realistic and abstract, prompting viewers to think about the meaning of images.” Lin Dai-Wei observed that more and more young people in Taiwan were beginning to collect. Most had developed their own research and tastes, and compared with older collectors, they made purchasing decisions more quickly. MICHAEL KU GALLERY. Founded in Taipei in 2008, Michael Ku Gallery brought works by 5 artists—Lo Chih-Hsin, Wei Jia, Wu Jun-Yong, Kuo Yu-Ping, and Chien Yi-Hung. “They’re all very popular. Several works sold as soon as the fair opened,” the gallery’s owner, Ku Hao-Yu, said in an interview.
Michael Ku Gallery booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Works by the Taiwanese artist Chien Yi-Hung have long been popular, and this year collectors from Europe also came to inquire about them. Young Taiwanese artists received considerable unexpected attention. Wu Jun-Yong’s “Love Letter” series may not be the kind of work Taiwanese collectors typically prefer, but the response this time was strong.
“So long as an artist expresses himself seriously and the price is reasonable, the response will generally be good.” ShanghART. ShanghART was one of the few mainland Chinese galleries participating in Taipei Dangdai. It presented a group of works organized around the theme of “collision,” by Li Shan, Lin Aojie, Melati Suryodarmo, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Huang Chen-Han, Wu Yi-Ming, and Zhao Renhui. ShanghART booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Making its debut at the fair, ShanghART approached the event in a spirit of exploration. After observing the first 2 days, Wu Junyi, the gallery’s director in Singapore, found that local Taiwanese collectors showed greater affinity for Japanese-inspired, cartoonish, and traditional-media works. Although most visitors expressed strong interest in unfamiliar forms or artists, they generally remained cautious and wanted to learn more.
SPURS Gallery. SPURS Gallery brought 20 works by 9 artists, including recent and historically important works by Rebecca Harper, Hou Tzu-Ni, Madeleine Pfull, Song Kun, Tie Ying, Ulay, Shanna Waddell, and Yuan Keru, as well as an unusually rare group of paintings by Zhang Peili.
SPURS Gallery booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Image courtesy of SPURS Gallery. Over the past several years, artists represented by SPURS Gallery have held solo exhibitions in Taiwan, and the gallery has participated in Taipei Dangdai since its inaugural edition. This was its third appearance. Taiwanese collectors already had a degree of familiarity with and recognition of the gallery and its artists. In Sherry’s view, Taiwan’s art ecosystem is highly inclusive, and the population of young collectors is steadily growing. By the first VIP day, three-quarters of the works had been acquired.
Hou Tzu-Ni work at the SPURS Gallery booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Ulay’s video works drew considerable attention. Another especially prominent piece was a monumental work by Hou Tzu-Ni, made especially for the fair and measuring 6 meters in length. As in previous years, SPURS Gallery used the fair to connect with local Taipei art spaces. Hou’s first solo exhibition in Taiwan was on view at Cans Project. Tang Contemporary Art. This was Tang Contemporary Art’s second Taipei Dangdai, and it brought outstanding works by artists including Luo Zhongli, Chen Danqing, Zhu Jinshi, Yue Minjun, Tan Ping, Yin Chaoyang, Kitti Narod, You Jin, Zhao Zhao, Cai Lei, Yang Bodu, Gongkan, Etsu Egami, Li Erpeng, and Yan Jingzhou.
Tang Contemporary Art booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Ye Yunyi, the gallery’s deputy director in Hong Kong, disclosed that sales had reached approximately $1 million on the first VIP day alone. Nearly $500,000 of that total came from works by Chen Danqing and Cai Lei. Zhu Jinshi is highly known in Taiwan and sold several smaller works. Several of Cai Lei’s small sculptures had also been acquired. Tan Ping, Against, 2021. Tan Ping’s work also suited Taiwanese collectors’ tastes. It received repeated inquiries, and Against, made in 2021, had been acquired.
“We’ve already ‘flipped’ Tan Ping’s works. Two of them were only put up this morning.” Ye Yunyi believes that older collectors tend to favor works by established masters, while younger collectors are more interested in artists closer to their own age, such as Gongkan. TINA KENG GALLERY. The Taiwanese gallery was another familiar presence at Taipei Dangdai, participating for 4 consecutive years. This time it brought works by artists including Su Hsiao-Pai, Chiang Yu-Hui, Hsueh Pao-Hsia, Yang Mao-Lin, Chang Hongtu, Yuan Hui-Li, and Sophie Pichi.
Works by local artists Hsueh Pao-Hsia and Yang Mao-Lin were particularly popular. TINA KENG GALLERY booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Gallery owner Tina Keng has worked in Taiwan’s art world for more than 30 years. In an interview, she said that Taiwanese collectors generally had extensive experience and collected across media, from ink and ceramics to contemporary art. “They also enjoy researching art and the process of communicating with artists.” WHITESTONE. This was Whitestone’s fourth Taipei Dangdai. It focused on new works by 5 artists: Chen Ying-Chieh, Kea Tsai, Yu Yeh-Lai, Ronald Ventura, and Philip Colbert.
Whitestone booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. The work of “Lobster” Colbert was the booth’s biggest draw, and we saw many visitors posing for photographs around it. The sculpture Lobster Shark on Van Gogh’s Chair had sold. The Chinese artist Chen Ying-Chieh’s In the Fissures of Life, I See Faith had also sold. Ronald Ventura, a Filipino artist born in the 1970s, combines observations of several different cultures in his work, and multiple new works made this year had been acquired.
Ronald Ventura works at the Whitestone booth, Taipei Dangdai, 2023. Whitestone opened its Taipei space in 2017. Zhu Qianxiu, a member of the gallery’s staff, told us that local Taiwanese collectors had broad horizons and were highly receptive. Alongside supporting local artists, they were increasingly turning their attention to Western contemporary artists, willing to experiment and eager to understand the backgrounds and contexts of artists from the West. Photography: Hsu Tsun-Kai.