Taipei Dangdai

Taipei Dangdai
Name	Taipei Dangdai
Native name	臺北當代
Established	2019
Location	Taipei, Taiwan
Type	Contemporary art fair
Director	(see Organization and Governance)
Website	(see official sources)

Taipei Dangdai Taipei Dangdai is a contemporary art fair held annually in Taipei, Taiwan, featuring a broad roster of galleries, artists, curators, collectors, and institutions from Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The fair situates itself amid regional platforms such as Art Basel, Frieze Art Fair, Art Taipei, FIAC, and Arco Madrid, positioning Taipei as a node connecting markets represented by Gagosian Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, David Zwirner, and local galleries like Taipei Fine Arts Museum exhibitors.

Overview

Taipei Dangdai serves collectors, curators, museum directors, and art historians from institutions including Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, and Uffizi Gallery. Its programs often intersect with biennials such as the Venice Biennale, Gwangju Biennale, Sharjah Biennial, Documenta, and festivals like Art Basel Hong Kong and Frieze Seoul, attracting attention from auction houses like Sotheby's, Christie's, and Phillips. The fair features solo presentations, special projects, talks, and collaborations involving practitioners linked to Yayoi Kusama, Ai Weiwei, Cai Guo-Qiang, Lee Ufan, and curators associated with Serpentine Galleries, Walker Art Center, National Gallery of Victoria, and MAXXI.

History and Founding

Founded in 2019, the fair emerged in conversation with organizations such as Taiwanese Ministry of Culture, Taipei City Government, Taiwan Foundation for the Arts, and civic partners including National Palace Museum. Its inauguration coincided with regional initiatives led by agencies like Asia Art Archive, Taiwanese Cultural Association, and networks built by figures connected to Chen Chi-kwan, Lee Mingwei, Huang Yong Ping circles. Early editions featured participation from galleries active with artists represented by Zhang Huan, Kiki Smith, Zeng Fanzhi, Takashi Murakami, and institutions like Asia Society, Japan Foundation, and British Council.

Exhibition Program and Featured Artists

The exhibition program comprises gallery booths, solo presentations, and curated sections showcasing artists linked to Wang Guangyi, Miquel Barcelo, Marina Abramović, Korean National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art affiliated artists, and emerging makers associated with Royal Academy of Arts and Yale University School of Art. Past participants have included names resonant with Louise Bourgeois, Anish Kapoor, Do Ho Suh, Mona Hatoum, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Zanele Muholi, Shirin Neshat, and contemporary practitioners active with Tobias Rehberger, Elmgreen & Dragset, Julie Mehretu, Kara Walker, and Mark Bradford. Curatorial projects have been developed in collaboration with Asia Art Archive, Sotheby's Institute of Art, Sternberg Press, and research centers like MIT List Visual Arts Center and Harvard Art Museums.

Venue and Architecture

The fair is staged in prominent Taipei venues and adjacent cultural districts associated with institutions such as Taipei World Trade Center, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, and nearby museums like Taipei Fine Arts Museum and Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei. Architectural dialogue often references regional landmarks including Taipei 101, National Theater and Concert Hall, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and draws comparisons to exhibition spaces designed by architects from offices like OMA, Herzog & de Meuron, SANAA, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid Architects, and Foster + Partners.

Community Engagement and Education

Educational initiatives link with universities and cultural institutions such as National Taiwan University, Tatung University, National Chengchi University, Academy of Arts University, and regional art schools connected to Taipei National University of the Arts. Public programming has included partnerships with museums and nonprofits like Asia Society, Asia Art Archive, Artspace, Independent Curators International, and foundations including Taipei Cultural Foundation, Fondation Cartier, and Wellcome Trust–style collaborators. Outreach connects local communities, schools, and residency programs linked to CIFO, Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, and artist networks like 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair participants.

Critical Reception and Impact

Critical response from publications and platforms including Artforum, Frieze Magazine, The Art Newspaper, ArtReview, ArtAsiaPacific, and newspapers such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, South China Morning Post, and Taipei Times has highlighted the fair's role in amplifying artists from regions represented by Southeast Asian Contemporary Art circuits, collectors connected to Asian Art Newspaper readership, and institutions like M+ Museum, Hong Kong Museum of Art, and National Gallery Singapore. Commentators compare Taipei Dangdai's market impact to events like TEFAF, Zona Maco, and Art Cologne, while noting contributions to curatorial discourse shaped by figures affiliated with ICA and KW Institute for Contemporary Art.

Organization and Governance

Organizational leadership involves directors, curators, and advisory boards with ties to galleries such as Galleria Continua, Sprüth Magers, Victoria Miro, and collectors associated with Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Fondation Louis Vuitton, and trustee networks of Museum of Modern Art and Whitney Museum of American Art. Governance includes collaboration with municipal and cultural agencies like Taipei City Government cultural affairs bureaus, arts foundations, and independent organizations akin to Tongji University School of Architecture partnerships. The fair's model parallels administrative structures seen in Art Basel, Frieze, and Biennale di Venezia organizing committees, engaging advisory members drawn from curatorial teams at Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, National Gallery of Canada, and academic institutions such as Columbia University and Courtauld Institute of Art.

Category:Contemporary art fairs