2021 Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival
For the first time ever, the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival is marrying offline and online to showcase Taiwanese and Canadian arts and culture to the world.
From July 2 to 4, the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival will have an offline exhibition at the North Plaza of Vancouver Art Gallery. There, visitors will have the chance to take photos with a large-scale butterfly lantern that was just fresh off the boat from Taiwan.
The online exhibitions will encompass themes including music, art, tourism, cinema and more. Visitors from all over the world will be able to access these exhibitions for free in the comfort of their homes. The music program will feature the Vancouver Pops Orchestra and Choir, founded by Tom Kuo of Taiwanese descent, Orchid Ensemble, led by Taiwanese erhu artist Lan Tung, and Sounds Global Ensemble, comprised of Jewish, Persian, Taiwanese, Vietnamese, Indian and Chinese styles. Billy Chang, a former crew member of Cirque du Soleil and art director of Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival in 2018, will also be performing at this year’s opening ceremony.
Among the artists line-up are Hsin-Fu Hung, John Lin and Steven Chang. Hsin-Fu Hung is a papercraft master who has promoted his environmental ideals through art in world-class museums in New York, Paris, Berlin, Munich and Moscow. Visitors can expect to see him sculpt dragonflies and sycamore flowers at the virtual festival. John Lin, a quasi-Abstract Expressionist, will be performing his meditative brushwork as a part of the “Emit Flow” exhibition. Dr. Steven Chang, a paediatrician, will be debuting his bamboo sculptures and sharing the story behind each of them at this year’s festival.
The tourism exhibition, a new setup this year, will include five virtual booths that introduce Taiwanese culture, biodiversity and bike tours. China Airlines will also be presenting useful Taiwan tourism information in this exhibition.
“Taiwan Cinema,” another new setup, will shine light on Taiwanese indie filmmakers and feature five picks: Lokah Laqi, Pakeriran, Long Time No Sea, Panay and A Fish Out of Water.
Visitors can expect to gain insights into indigenous conservation, contemporary family structures, environmental sustainability and more social issues taking place in Taiwan.
The Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Festival will be streaming on the virtual event platform, Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society’s official website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Webex platform.
