Art has always been more than just a medium for self-expression and creativity. For many nations and cultures around the world, it is also a tool of soft power. Considering Taiwan’s unique situation, art is probably one of the country’s best ways to gather support for its cause.
Art is often considered “apolitical.” In practice, this is obviously not true. What I mean, however, is that art is often not associated directly with government activities. Therefore, Taiwan can often take part in art-related events around the world without fear of being excluded because of its political isolation.
Taiwanese artists are frequently invited to participate in exhibitions in places where Taiwan, if represented by its government, would normally not be invited.
The Taiwanese government is aware of this grey area, and Taiwanese representative offices around the world often place cultural and artistic activities high on their annual agendas. Of course, more can always be done to promote and support the arts in Taiwan. Artists in Taiwan face several challenges, such as limited funding and low salaries, although these issues are common for artists around the world.
Back in 2023, I had the privilege of introducing 54 Taiwanese middle school students to Belgium’s comic culture. At the end of the presentation, I asked the students to draw a picture or create a comic about what Taiwan has to offer that foreigners would enjoy trying or visiting.
To no one’s surprise, the students’ artwork was dominated by food: bubble tea was drawn 25 times, stinky tofu 12 times, and night markets 6 times. Other aspects of Taiwan that the students took pride in included the Formosan black bear, which appeared in 14 drawings; convenience stores, which appeared in 5; and Taipei 101, which appeared in 4.
It was a very interesting activity because the students enjoyed creating their work, and it also provided a small but insightful survey into what young Taiwanese people think their country should be known for.
Antoine Collard
Antoine is a business consultant specialising in Taiwan–Europe relations. He lived in Taiwan for six years, working in Taiwanese companies and startups in Mandarin and earning a Master’s degree from National Taiwan University. He is co-founder/ founder of several businesses working in the Asia-Europe space.