At Hongshulin on Taipei's north coast sits ART BOX, a small but distinctive gallery — the only exhibition space besides the Paul Chiang Art Center itself dedicated to artist Paul Chiang's work.

"Chiang's paintings are generous and beautiful — you love them before you even know why," says Yu-Neng Zhang, chairman of Dahin Development, a close friend and longtime patron of the artist. That instinctive admiration led Zhang to support Chiang's work early on, sparking a friendship between their families. 

In this interview, Zhang plays classical music as he reads Chiang's paintings through music, literature, and architecture. He compares the layered yet strikingly clean "transparency" in Chiang's oil paintings to violinist Hilary Hahn's playing, and likens Chiang's artistic journey to Bach's Goldberg Variations — a constant interplay of motion and stillness, a noble struggle played out on canvas.

Zhang also reflects on how the Art Center, like "a chapel without a denomination," offers a place of healing, inviting us to see familiar colors in an entirely new light. Read the full article.

On June 13, the Summer Salon Concert opened with "Translating Light Through Voice and Piano," a performance by soprano Hwei-Jan Luo and pianist Mei-Chun Chou— the series' first program centered on vocal music.

Asked after the concert whether Chiang's paintings evoke loneliness or solitude, Luo answered without hesitation: "Solitude — because there is light." She described two forces at work in Chiang's paintings, dissolution and expansion, moving together like the tides. "Yin cannot exist without yang," she noted, comparing this dynamic to the music of Gustav Mahler, which she said is both haunting and healing .

Curated by Chou, the Summer Salon Concert runs June through August with four concerts exploring vocal, violin, piano, and Paiwan Indigenous music, each responding to Chiang's art in a different musical language. 2026 Second-Half Salon Concerts

Amid Taitung's blue skies and green hills, Chiang traces his inspiration of this work back to a yellow palm tree that has stood beside his studio for over a decade. The piece began simply — in pure blue — before he started capturing the shifting light and shadow around the grounds, from dawn's glow to dusk's hush to night's stillness.

"Art is different from reality... what I ultimately want to create is something that transcends reality — not a literal depiction of a palm tree," Chiang says. The painting's scattered, uneven shadows are part of the work itself — painted, surprisingly, on ordinary construction-site formwork. "Unless I mention it, no one would guess," he says. Chiang no longer chases "perfect" execution; embracing asymmetry and raw texture instead, he finds a more natural harmony.

Representatives from the 12 Member States and Lutz Güllner, Head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan (EETO), held their monthly meeting in Taitung for the first time. For many delegates, it was also their first visit to the region.

Co-organized by the Alliance Cultural Foundation and the Paul Chiang Arts & Cultural Foundation, the journey introduced ambassadors to the region's rich cultural map. The delegation visited the National Museum of Prehistory to learn about Austronesian links, commended the local "Slow Economy" philosophy, and praised Junyi School’s progressive education.

Co-founder Stanley Yen personally guided the guests through the Paul Chiang Art Center. Representatives lauded the integration of nature and architecture, deeply moved by a surprise pop-up piano performance by Mei-Chun Chou. Many were also drawn to the Mountain Range of Taiwan collection, and several plan to return with families this summer.

The cultural exploration extended further to artist Jun T Lai's studio, Chiang Hsun Gallery, and the Chishang Barn Art Museum. This trip beautifully bridged community revitalization with contemporary art, proving that Taitung preserves its rustic charm while possessing a vibrant energy ready for the global stage.

In celebration of the Taitung Expo, the Art Center is opening its doors into the evenings this summer, and on-site Café Debussy is offering a special seasonal "Pacific Coast Dinner" — a chance to experience the grounds by night, paired with a seasonal evening meal.

The menu moves from a rich mushroom soup starter to a choice of sous-vide steak with house-made salmon roe jus or pan-seared swordfish with lemon butter sauce, dessert is a Basque cheesecake infused with red oolong tea from Taitung's Yun Fang Tea House.

Dinner reservations include complimentary gallery admission from 5:00 PM (galleries open until 5:30 PM), so guests can enjoy the art in the last light of day.

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