Tainan National Museum's "Overseas Gathering Project" Organizes Cultural Memories at Yamaguchi Prefecture Forum

Central News Agency (Reporter Chiu Tsu-yin, Taipei, 25th) The Preparatory Office of the Tainan National Museum of Fine Arts today held the "Gathering in a Foreign Land - Taiwan Art and Literature in Yamaguchi Prefecture in 2026: Taiwan-Japan Exchange Forum" in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, attracting over 150 Taiwanese and Japanese scholars and related personnel. According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Culture, attendees included Political Deputy Minister of Culture Lee Ching-hui, Chen Cheng-po Cultural Foundation Chairman Chen Li-po, Hotung Cultural and Arts Foundation Director Chu Chin-wei, Japan-Taiwan Friendship Promotion Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly Members League President Shimada Noriaki, Yamaguchi City Mayor Ito Kazutaka, and Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum of Art Director Domon Kenji, all witnessing this important moment in Taiwan-Japan cultural exchange. Lee Ching-hui stated in her speech, "'Gathering' means picking up scattered grains one by one, also a cherishing of culture." She noted that modern Taiwanese art experienced a rupture after the war, with many works and historical materials lost overseas or disappearing from history. The "Gathering in a Foreign Land" project aims to gradually recover these lost cultural pieces through research, investigation, and transnational cooperation. Lee Ching-hui emphasized that the construction of modern and contemporary Taiwanese art is not just a supplement to art history but a reconstruction of cultural subjectivity. This project is not merely a forum or an investigative action, but an important starting point for Taiwan to proactively engage with the international community and reconnect its historical context. She added that related actions will continue to be promoted in the future to ensure Taiwanese art is more fully understood and positioned in international art history. Shimada Noriaki stated in his speech that Yamaguchi Prefecture and Taiwan share deep historical and cultural ties. From the establishment of the "Taiwan Art Exhibition" by Ueyama Mannosuke, who was from Hofu City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, to the discovery of Chen Cheng-po's works in Yamaguchi Prefecture, all demonstrate the long-standing and close connection between the two sides. This forum, as a crucial action in reconstructing modern Taiwanese art history, not only symbolizes the reconnection of past cultural memories but also hopes to use this as an opportunity to further expand broader and deeper exchange and cooperation between Taiwan and Japan. During the event, Fujisaki Tsunesuke, a student of Japanese artist Saeki Nobuo, donated Saeki Nobuo's "Self-Portrait" to the Tainan National Museum of Fine Arts. This laid an important foundation for the museum's collection and research, symbolizing the gradual return of important cultural assets scattered overseas to Taiwan. The Preparatory Office of the Tainan National Museum of Fine Arts launched the "Overseas Gathering Project" in 2025, entrusting the Chen Cheng-po Cultural Foundation to conduct systematic documentation and transnational investigation, recovering scattered art and memories piece by piece, and gradually reconstructing the outline of modern and contemporary Taiwanese art history. (Edited by Chen Jen-hua) 1150425. Choose to stand with facts; every sponsorship you provide is a force for protecting press freedom. Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated. The text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.