Conference: A Blast of Lyricism: Contemporary Taiwanese Art and Its Global Connections
International Conference in Edinburgh
A Blast of Lyricism: Contemporary Taiwanese Art and Its Global Connections
3-4 November 2025
EFI 2.55, University of Edinburgh
1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3 9DF, United Kingdom
This international conference examines the global significance and impact of contemporary Taiwanese art, situating it within broader transnational and cross-disciplinary dialogues. Bringing together scholars, artists, and practitioners, the event explores how contemporary art engages with shifting cultural, political, and technological landscapes across regions and mediums.
Through seven thematic panels, the conference will engage with issues of technological interventions, identity and tension, Indigenous perspectives, reclaimed gender, the lyrical body and fluid memory, art resistance and cultural critiques in the transnational age. By amplifying underrepresented voices in art, fashion, and performance from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other politically and culturally marginalised regions, it challenges dominant art historical narratives. It proposes new frameworks for understanding global art. Advocating for a decentred and inclusive approach to art history, A Blast of Lyricism serves as a platform for critical dialogue and exchange, fostering fresh perspectives on contemporary artistic practices and their global connections.
Free event, registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/a-blast-of-lyricism-contemporary-taiwanese-art-and-its-global-connections-tickets-1592039365599?aff=oddtdtcreator
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VR Filmfest Showcase of Digital Artist Ya-lun Tao: https://shorturl.at/AYaT8
2025 VR Filmfest: Showcase of Digital Artist Tao Ya-lun
Venue: EFI 2.55, University of Edinburgh. 1 Lauriston Place, Edinburgh EH3 9DF
5 November 2025 9:00-14:00
Wandering Ghost Series, Nos. 1-10 《徘徊的幽靈Nos. 1-10》
3D digital image, VR, Kinetic installation
Dimensions variable
2020
5 November 2025 14:10-17:00
Theatre in the Brain《腦內劇場》
3D digital image, VR, Kinetic installation
Dimensions variable
2025
VR Artist Ya-Lun TAO陶亞倫
Ya-Lun TAO (b.1966) was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Ya-Lun Tao is a pioneer in the Taiwanese new media art scene. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious honours and awards, including the International Digital Festival of Contemporary New Media Art (MADATAC) in Madrid, Spain; the most iconic contemporary art award in Taiwan—the Taipei Arts Award; and the Taipei County Prize. He is also the youngest recipient of the Contemporary Painting Creation Prize, which symbolises the contemporary artistic spirit in the Chinese-speaking art community. Meanwhile, he is the grantee of the Taiwan Fellowship Program by the Asian Cultural Council (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), for which he has been invited to visit the US as a visiting scholar. He has been invited by the Headland Center for the Arts in San Francisco as an artist-in-residence and has been invited by 1a space in Hong Kong and sponsored by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council to become the first artist-in-residence at 1a space. In addition, he has conducted artist residency at the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art, which is famous for digital image and techno-art. Tao was ranked first in the grant program of the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France. He was also an exchange artist in Boston at the invitation of the Boston City Government. Tao was invited by the MADATAC in Madrid, Spain, to present his solo exhibition at the Media Lab Prado in Madrid. He was also invited by the mayor of San Lorenzo del Escorial to present his solo exhibition at the Monasterio de San Lorenzo. In 2009, he was invited by the OK Zentrum in Linz, Austria, to hold a large-scale solo exhibition. Tao has also held solo exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Taipei; the Digital Art Center, Taipei; the Taipei Fine Arts Museum; the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art, the Hong Kong Arts Center; the Headland Center for the Arts in San Francisco; the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts; IT Park; and Double Square Gallery.
