Taipei: A contemporary art exhibition that opens at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM) on Saturday will explore how sound intersects with perception, environmental justice, and politics using somewhat unconventional media.
According to Focus Taiwan, the exhibition, titled "Attunement: Contemporary Politics between Mindscape and Soundscape," features works by 13 artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, the Middle East, and Europe. These artists utilize various types of media, including Chinese ink scrolls, bioelectrodes, field recordings, and sonic warfare research to convey their messages.
Speaking at the exhibition's opening ceremony on Friday, Singaporean curator Hsu Fang-tze emphasized that the exhibition is less about the sound itself and more about broadening the ways people perceive and connect with the world. "The exhibition itself does not emphasize sound. Rather, it reminds us that we experience the world through more than just sight," she stated.
Hsu encouraged visitors to engage with the works with an open mind rather than attempting to interpret the title before entering the galleries. "Don't feel you have to understand every work. Instead, consider how each one shapes your perception and engages your senses," she advised.
The exhibition focuses on the interconnected themes of "breathing," "listening," and "resonance," drawing on both Western and Eastern philosophical traditions, according to the TFAM's description of the show. It takes inspiration from German philosopher Martin Heidegger's idea of "attunement" and the Daoist concept of "perfect music" in the Zhuangzi, both of which understand sound as a way of connecting people with one another and with the world around them.
Among the highlights is Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui's "Pulses in 11," an installation combining turntables, cymbals, gongs, water drops, and computer-generated sounds. Other featured works include Taiwanese artist Chen Ting-Jung's "You Are the Only One I Care About (whisper)," an eight-channel sound installation built partly from discarded newspapers, and Vietnamese artist Nguyen Trinh Thi's "47 Days, Sound-less," a three-channel video installation presented with mirrors.
Hsu noted that the exhibition, developed against a backdrop of growing geopolitical tensions, climate change, and the influence of social media, ultimately underscores the importance of listening and mutual understanding. While art alone cannot bring about world peace, she suggested, it can encourage reflection and empathy by inviting people to experience the world from different perspectives.
The exhibition runs from Saturday through Sept. 27 in Galleries 3A and 3B at the TFAM.