Sotheby’s Institute alumna Agnes Liao, Artistic Director of UP Gallery—Taiwan’s only gallery dedicated to photography and moving images—shares her insider perspective on what makes Taiwan’s art scene so dynamic right now.

In Taiwan, the vibrancy of the art scene comes from its quiet resilience and intellectual depth. Among all mediums, new media and socially engaged practices are particularly dynamic.

Taiwanese artists today are unafraid to probe complex themes—identity, queerness, land, diaspora, and political memory—often with subtlety and emotional precision rather than spectacle.

“Artists from diverse backgrounds approach photography with fewer preconceptions, often leading to more experimental and boundary-defying practices.”

This ecosystem is sustained by a unique hybrid infrastructure: small but daring private galleries, committed public institutions, and a growing younger audience that approaches art not just as aesthetic or cultural expression, but as a space for discourse. It is this combination of sincerity, experimentation, and critical engagement that makes Taiwan’s cultural pulse both distinctive and worth watching.

I feel it’s important to acknowledge the complex and uncertain climate we find ourselves in—both globally and regionally. While Taiwan remains at the center of pressing geopolitical issues, these are not merely regional challenges but reflections of a broader global tension. Most recently, the announcement of the cancellation of Taipei Dangdai 2026 has further added to the atmosphere of unpredictability.

Culture is not built overnight—nor is it erased by a single policy or moment. It grows steadily, layered through generations, and often flourishes precisely because of adversity, not in spite of it.

Artists and Trends to Watch

What sets Taiwan apart is its dual fluency in local nuance and international dialogue. Taiwanese artists often engage with layered cultural and political histories, using a subtle and refined visual language that resonates far beyond the island. Their participation in global biennials such as Venice, Lyon, Sharjah, and Gwangju reflects a growing recognition of their urgent and poetic responses to topics like migration, ecological fragility, and identity.

Notable artists include Wu Chia-Yun, Mia Liu, and Arthur Ou—each working across distinct media, yet collectively reflecting Taiwan’s vibrant and hybrid energy.

Wu Chia-Yun explores themes of freedom, belonging, and existential inquiry through moving image, installation, and conceptual practices. Her lens-based works often incorporate printmaking and mixed media to evoke a layered sense of self and memory. She is currently featured in the Dior Photography and Visual Arts Award at LUMA Arles, with upcoming shows at Taipei Biennial and Taiwan Art Biennial.

Mia Liu redefines “painting” by embracing abstraction rooted in sensation, memory, and nature. Her meticulous processes span ink, glass, textiles, and video. Her Drawing Dialogues and Scapes in the Mist series demonstrate how she transforms everyday materials into poetic forms that defy conventional boundaries.

Arthur Ou, a Taiwanese-American artist and recent Guggenheim Fellow, works conceptually with the photographic medium. His hand-tinted prints—such as in the Day of Times and Primer series—explore light, surface, and materiality. Drawing on Chinese painterly traditions and minimalist abstraction, Ou bridges the contemplative with the conceptual, the historic with the experimental.

Together, these artists exemplify a scene that is as introspective as it is globally attuned—quietly powerful, and increasingly impossible to overlook.

Image: Wu Chia-Yun, mother-land, courtesy of the artist.

Agnes’ Top Picks in Taiwan

From must-visit galleries and vibrant art fairs to standout exhibitions and cozy creative cafés, explore Agnes’ top picks across Taiwan’s dynamic art scene.

🍽️ Hsinchuku, Hsinchu – A 90-year-old heritage house reimagined with innovative Asian plant-based cuisine

🎵 SIDOLI RADIO, Taipei – Perfect for music lovers!

☕ COFFEE TO, Taipei – Located within the National Center of Photography and Images (NCPI)

Taiwan on the Global Stage

Thanks to four decades of economic stability and a long-standing cultural appreciation for the arts, Taiwan has nurtured a lineage of thoughtful and committed collectors. Traditionally, many of these collectors have preferred to remain discreet, valuing privacy over visibility. However, this is changing. A new generation is emerging with a more outward-facing mindset—establishing private museums, founding contemporary art spaces, and creating foundations that not only support artists but actively engage the public. Together, they are reshaping the role and meaning of art patronage in Taiwan.

Many of Taiwan’s collectors are also increasingly active on the global stage, serving on acquisition boards of leading international institutions such as Tate and Centre Pompidou. Their involvement has helped foster meaningful cross-cultural exchanges, building bridges between Taiwan and the international art world. Taiwanese collectors are also very well known on the secondary art market, as it is one of the main channels for acquiring works.

Art professionals from Taiwan often work across borders, occupying influential roles both in the primary and secondary markets, as well as within independent curatorial and critical circles. From my perspective in the primary market, Taiwanese galleries are becoming more prominent internationally, participating in major art fairs such as Art Basel (Basel and Hong Kong), Frieze Seoul, and Paris Photo, among others. These platforms have allowed Taiwan’s distinct curatorial voices to reach broader audiences, while also giving local collectors exposure to a wider range of practices and perspectives. It’s a reciprocal dynamic that enriches both sides.

Speaking from personal experience, many of us in the field wear multiple hats. In addition to running the gallery, I serve as a nominator for the Prix Pictet, regularly lecture on photography and collecting in Taiwan, and am also involved in publishing. In fact, we’ll be launching a new book by artist Mia Liu this October in the UP Gallery space.

Through these overlapping roles, we’ve come to understand that the global art world is deeply interconnected—each thread of work is linked, forming a larger, ever-evolving conversation.

Image: Mia Liu’s works at Photo London 2025, courtesy of UP Gallery.

Agnes’ Take

For me, Taiwan is an incredibly vibrant place for the arts. As someone whose expertise—and gallery focus—lies in lens-based media, my connection to the local scene naturally leans toward photography and image-making. While Taiwan currently lacks dedicated photography departments in major art schools—a fact often seen as a limitation—I believe it actually opens up more possibilities. Artists from diverse backgrounds approach photography with fewer preconceptions, often leading to more experimental and boundary-defying practices.

Photobooks play a major role in fostering dialogue and exchange. They serve as gateways for younger artists to engage with global practices and ideas. UP Gallery holds an archive of nearly 600 photobooks, housed in our lower level and open to the public for reading and research.

Though our gallery’s primary focus is the contemporary art market—with active participation in international fairs such as Paris Photo, PhotoFairs Shanghai, and Tokyo Gendai—these platforms not only introduce Taiwanese artists to global audiences but also allow us to bring those conversations back into the local context. We are always eager to collaborate with curators, whose insights can offer fresh perspectives and present artists’ work meaningfully within museum settings.

Support from enterprises has also been key. For example, LG has generously sponsored display equipment, allowing us to dedicate a second-floor screening room for video works. This space has evolved into a project room where artists can experiment freely and fully realize more expansive, concept-driven solo presentations.

Image: UP Gallery Ground Floor, courtesy of UP Gallery.

Must-See Spaces

From international fairs to emerging galleries, Taiwan offers a rich variety of art spaces that reflect its creative evolution.

Galleries

  • Tina Keng Gallery

  • Mind Set Art Center

  • Asia Art Center

  • Liang Gallery

  • YIRI ARTS

  • Double Square Gallery

  • Project Fulfill Art Space

  • UP Gallery

Museums

  • Taipei Fine Arts Museum

  • National Palace Museum

  • Museum of National Taipei University of Education

  • Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts

  • National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

  • Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei

  • National Center of Photography and Images

  • Fubon Art Museum

Alternative Spaces/Fairs

  • Tao Art Space

  • Hong Foundation

  • C-Lab

  • Treasure Hill Artist Village

  • Taipei Music Center

  • Taipei Performing Arts Center

  • Art Taipei: Established in 1992, making it one of the oldest contemporary art fairs in the Asia-Pacific region

  • One Art Taipei: For emerging talents