2 Taiwanese selected as resident artists in Lithuania

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) Two Taiwanese artists have been selected as resident artists at the Lithuanian cultural center SODAS 2123 where they will each spend two months producing art, the Ministry of Culture said Thursday.

The collaborative project between the Taipei Representative Office in Germany, the Association of the Visual Arts in Taiwan (AVAT), and SODAS 2123, is partially funded by the ministry. It began accepting applications from Taiwanese artists in March.

Juan Po-yuan (阮柏遠) and Jung Hsu (徐容) stood out from the competition, the ministry said, adding that they are each to serve as a resident artist at SODAS 2123 -- a self-governing community-based space operated and curated by the Lithuanian Interdisciplinary Artists' Association -- for two months starting on Thursday.

Juan's work features elements of online gaming and 3D imagery, is influenced by the post-internet era and focuses on video games, cyberspace, and cyberqueer -- ways in which LGBTQ+ individuals and communities use, navigate and experience the internet and digital technologies.

Hsu, based in Berlin, triumphed in the "Interactive Art +" category at Prix Ars Electronica 2022, an honor she shared with Colombian artist Natalia Rivera for "Bi0film.net: Resist like bacteria" -- an interactive artwork aimed at empowering protesters inspired by the 2014 Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong.

During their residency, Juan and Hsu will visit local artists' studios, meet curators, and be interviewed by online art publications, the ministry said.

SODAS 2123 touted the artist residency program as a great opportunity for Taiwanese artists to engage in in-depth professional exchanges with local artists.

The Taipei Representative Office in Germany said that the AVAT will hold an event in Taiwan after the artists return to allow them to share their experiences during their residency, and it also expressed hope that more exchanges in visual arts between Taiwan and Lithuania will follow in the wake of the program.