Taiwan Academy in Los Angeles

The Taiwan Academy has participated in the Hawai'i Triennial, the largest contemporary art exhibition on the islands, for the first time. We introduce visual artist Anchi Lin (Ciwas Tahos)'s series of works "Finding Pathways to Temahahoi" to the Triennial, which will be on display from February 15 to May 4, 2025.

Ciwas is a visual artist of Atayal and Hoklo background, who has been active worldwide in recent years. She creates works centered on the body, through performance, video, cyberspace, porcelain, and kinetic devices, weaving the Atayal worldview into her works. “Finding Pathways to Temahahoi” is based on an Atayal legend to seek belonging with a queer utopian image. The artist combines the Atayal context and environmental perspective to reflect on contemporary gender and ecological issues. This work is exhibited at the HUB (Davies Pacific Center) of the Triennial, located in downtown of Honolulu. In addition to the static display, two other Taiwanese artists were be invited to perform at the site on the opening day. Check here for more information.

The 67th GRAMMY Awards took place on February 2 (Taiwan time: February 3), with Taiwan securing two nominations for Best Recording Package! This marks another milestone for Taiwan’s design community, showcasing its creativity on the global stage.

Onion Design Associates' Andrew Wong and Julie Yeh earned their third nomination for Jug Band Millionaire by The Muddy Basin Ramblers, a package inspired by vintage sheet music from the 1920s and 1930s. The design features intricate typography, hand-drawn illustrations, and a letterpress-printed CD sleeve, evoking the nostalgic charm of early jug band music.

Pei-Tzu Lee, in collaboration with embroidery artist Zhou Yixin, received her first GRAMMY nomination for Pregnancy, Breakdown, And Disease by iWhoiWhoo. The avant-garde album’s packaging reflects themes of "illness" and "healing," incorporating a textured scab-like cover, a red cassette symbolizing blood, and an accordion-style layout with hidden messages of comfort.

Both teams attended the GRAMMY Awards in person, celebrating their achievements alongside the world’s top music and design professionals. Although they did not take home the award, they expressed gratitude for the experience, learning valuable insights from this year’s winning album, Brat, which resonated strongly with current design trends. Taiwan’s presence at the GRAMMYs continues to grow, and we look forward to seeing more groundbreaking work from these talented designers in the future!

Beginning February 18–20, Yáng Shuang-zi and Lin King visited Chapman University, University of California, Irvine (UCI), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and Skylight Bookstore to discuss the process of writing the book "Taiwan Travelogue," from the initial ideation, concept development, research, and fieldwork to the organization, story structure, and translation process. Having witnessed such amazing and illuminating occurrences, they were awed by the crowds and thankful to be able to share this book with everyone. We are really grateful to everyone who came to these activities.

Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee received the Directors Guild of America's (DGA) 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on February 8. Michelle Yeoh, lead actress of Lee’s film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, presented the award.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a director in recognition of distinguished achievement in feature film direction and is the Guild’s highest honor, and the recipient is selected by the present and past presidents of the Guild. DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter said, “Ang Lee is truly a master filmmaker… always fearlessly taking on new challenges, never repeating himself, and consistently achieving cinematic excellence.” Ann Lee received the award, saying, “I have received many awards in my career, but this one is most special to me because it comes from my beloved peers. “

The International Residency Program of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA), one of the leading art museums in Taiwan, invites foreign professionals to conduct research and engage in collaborative exchanges at the museum. This initiative aims to promote international dialogue and foster research on our collections by providing access to our resources. Qualified applicants should be a non-Republic of China (Taiwan) national working as an artist, curator, art historian, critic, theorist, or museum professional having at least five years’ experience without the status of a student. It is expected that the resident professional should demonstrate substantial knowledge and understanding of the Museum, its collections, and Taiwan's culture and arts. The residence period falls from September 15 to November 18, 2025, and the professional should stay for more than 30 days. NTMoFA will cover flight tickets, insurance, allowance, a studio, etc. Apply before March 24. Check here for information.