Taipei Dangdai Art & Ideas, the Taiwan art fair, hosted its 2024 fifth edition last week, featuring 78 galleries from 19 countries. The fair opened as Taiwan’s collectors continued to showcase their power and the country’s leading art institutions demonstrated their curatorial expertise to visiting international dealers, curators, and other art professionals.It is a good moment for Taiwanese collectors and the art market in Taiwan.
China is currently experiencing an economic slump due to declining foreign demand for products and a significant downturn in its real estate market. Meanwhile, international galleries and collectors are deeply connected to the Asia-Pacific region and continue to return to Taiwan. Wealthy Taiwanese often run tech or manufacturing companies in China, but they are not heavily involved in the real estate or stock markets in China. Many are more connected to the US market, which somewhat insulates them from Chinese economic concerns. Additionally, many collectors are shrewd in their dealings with China, using the weaker Chinese market as an opportunity to acquire assets at lower prices including art works.
A major highlight of Taipei Dangdai 2024 is the introduction of the themed section "Evoke" for the first time. This section focuses on solo exhibitions or joint exhibitions of significant artists in art history. Highlights include a solo exhibition of Liao Chi-chun at Sun Rise Peak Gallery and a solo exhibition of Hsiao Chin at 3812 Gallery, each representing a key point in the evolution of 20th-century contemporary art. Additionally, Marc Straus is presenting a duo exhibition featuring Ozioma Onuzulike and Anne Samat, two artists who explore their cultural heritage and address contemporary issues such as global climate change through their work.
In addition to the strong lineup in the new themed section Evoke, the fair also continue its previous themes with Galleries, Edge, Engage, and Node. This year, the fair offers a series of rich programs to highlight the vibrant art ecology of the local and surrounding regions. Through large-scale public installations and carefully curated lectures, exhibitions, forums, and other activities, Taipei Dangdai aims to create an excellent platform for initiating dialogue among the gathered international art professionals.
Although many collectors expressed disappointment with this year’s art fair, gallerists still managed to drive some sales. Despite a slow start, sales began to pick up towards the end.
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