TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The “Art Capital” exhibition in Paris invited 23 Taiwanese artists to present their work until Saturday. 

The exhibition features 2,000 artists and 40,000 visitors, including collectors, art institutions, and potential sponsors. Among the record 23 Taiwanese artists participating this year 19 were from the Taiwan Academy of Fine Arts, per CNA.

TAFA said that although its artists have been featured globally, this is the first year they have been showcased in Paris. Since its founding in 2010, TAFA has enhanced Taiwanese artists’ visibility.   

According to TAFA fellow and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Director Liang Yung-fei (梁永斐), diplomacy is more effective when it is led by culture. He said the event demonstrates the spirit of Taiwanese artists and Taiwan's free, democratic society. 

In an interview, Taiwanese artist A-Sun Wu (吳炫三) explained how he used wooden boards to depict parents and children on a tropical island. Although he has lived in France for over 30 years, he said he feels deep ties to Taiwan. 

Growing up in Yilan, Wu said Taiwan’s tropical nature and land nourished him. He said that when he was young, he played with his Indigenous friends.

“I am an artist cultivated by Taiwan," Wu said. Most of Wu’s creations are based on tropical island settings.