TSAI, Ming-Jiun

蔡明君

latest update：2021-12-31

Ming-Jiun Tsai was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 1981; Nantou is her hometown, and now she lives and works in Taichung. She loves mountains and the ocean, but is also curious about many phenomena in human society. She focuses on the practice and research of contemporary curating and is an assistant professor in the Department of Fine Arts, Tunghai University and the Project Investigator of Keywords of Taiwan Contemporary Art Archive (TCAA).

Acting as an observer, Ming-Jiun Tsai’s long-term relationship with art – studying and working in the field of art since junior high school – stimulates her interests in the relationship between art, public and society. She has profound care of the environment, nature and ecology and she is also concerned with the social and political development of Taiwan, and these subject matters bring her projects to work with other fields other than visual art. As an independent curator and artist, Ming-Jiun Tsai’s projects are often site and context specific involving working closely with different collaborators and producing commissions. Her ecological and cultural environment related curatorial projects in recent years include ‘2019 Madou Sugar Industry Art Triennial’, ‘Oasis’, ‘Collective Negative Space Village – Ministry of Culture: Taiwan Air Force Innovation Base Experimental Architecture Project’ and ‘Post-Ecolonialism Project – Practice Rooted in Communities’ as well as two long-term projects ‘Planting Trees for Shades in the Future - Actions of Carbon Reduction in Art’ and ‘Let’s meet tomorrow before the end of our time’.

  • 2023

    2023 Chief Curator, ‘Listening to the Overtones of Fissures - Green Island Human Rights Art Festival’, Green Island White Terror Memorial Park, Taitung, Taiwan

  • 2022

    2022 Curator, ‘How We became Artists’, TKG+ Project, Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2021

    Co-curator, ‘A Rhythm of Tree Forming the Forest’, Chiayi Art Musuem, Chiayi, Taiwan

  • 2021

    Curatorial team, ‘What we do when we don’t meet’, Yao Space, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2021-

    Chief Investigator, ‘Planting Trees for Shades in the Future - Actions of Carbon Reduction in Art’, Taiwan

  • 2021

    Curatorial team, ‘Let’s meet tomorrow before the end of our time’, Tunghai University Art Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2020

    Co-Planner, ‘Arts of Coming Down to Earth’in‘Taipei Biennial 2020 - You and I Don’t Live on the Same Planet’, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2020

    Co-Curator, ‘Survival of the Exceptional’, Tainan Art Museum, Tainan, Taiwan

  • 2019

    Curator, ‘The Desired End of Spirit – Lee Chu-Hsin Solo Exhibition’, Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art, Nantou, Taiwan

  • 2019

    Advisor and workshops organiser, ‘Reveal, resistance, disintegrate - an invitation to revisit the history of stigmas of homosexseuls in Taiwan’, Cultime.co at Creators, Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-Lab), Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2019

    Co-Curator, ‘2019 Madou Sugar Industry Art Triennial, Madou District’, Tainan, Taiwan

  • 2018

    Curator, ‘Oasis’, Vital Space, Live Forever Foundation, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2018

    Co-Curator, ‘Collective Negative Space Village – Ministry of Culture: Taiwan Air Force Innovation Base Experimental Architecture Project’, Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-Lab), Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2017

    Curator, ‘Knead and Gain – Hou Chun Ming <Body Image> Interview Project’, Tunghai University Art Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2016

    Co-Curator, ‘Post-Ecolonialism Project – Practice Rooted in Communities’, Chiayi County Everlasting Development Association, Jiaxian People's Association / good days, Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

  • 2016

    Creative Director, ‘I Land – a collaborative performance’, Asian Cultural Council, New York City, U.S.A

  • 2016

    Curator, ‘Situation of Existence – Contemporary Realistic Art in East Asia’, Yu-Hsiu Museum of Art, Nantou, Taiwan

  • 2015

    Co-Curator, ‘2015 Animation – Slices of Film’in‘Digital Art Festival Taipei’, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2014

    Curator, ‘RE EXHIBITING: Hantoo Art Group Exhibition’, The Pier-2 Art Center P3 Warehouse, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

  • 2014

    Curator, ‘RE WRITING: Hantoo Art Group Exhibition’, FreeS Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2013

    Curator, ‘To Be Continued’ at ‘Intersecting Vectors – Experimental Projects from the TFAM Collection’, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2013

    Curator, ‘Yard’at‘The 11th Taishin Arts Award Exhibition’, MoCA Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2012

    Curator, ‘A Gathering’at ‘AVAT (Association of the Visual Arts in Taiwan) 2012 Artists Fair’, Taichung Cultural and Creative Industries Park, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2012

    Curator, ‘Yard’, Tunghai University Art Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2011

    Curator, ‘In/side/out’, Stock 20, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2011

    Curator, ‘Burcu was here’, C.A.M. Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey

  • 2011

    Curator, ‘Burcu was there’, Everspring Museum of Fine Art, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2010

    Curator, ‘Mirror, mirror on the wall’, TAMTAM 8 (Now tamtamART), Berlin, Germany

  • 2010

    Co-Curator, ‘The dictionary of received ideas’, Q Art Space, London, UK

  • 2010

    Curator, ‘The Journey to the West – Chu ChunTeng Solo Exhibition’, Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, UK

  • 2010

    Member of Nomination Panel, ‘Photo50’at‘The London Art Fair 2010’, London, UK

  • 2009

    Curator, ‘Beyond The Map’, London, UK

  • 2009

    Co-Curator, ‘Photo50 – Any similarity to actual events or characters is purely coincidental’at‘The London Art Fair 2009’, London, UK

  • 2007

    Curator, ‘Now, she is in Taichung. Where is your home? If you asked, “Taipei” she will answer so. - Shino Hisano Solo Exhibition’, Stock 20, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2008-2010

    University of London, Goldsmiths College, Department of Art, MFA in Curating, UK

  • 2004-2006

    Tunghai University, College of Fine Arts and Creative Design, Department of Fine Arts, MFA in Fine Art, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 1999-2003

    National Hsinchu Teachers College, Department of Art and Craft Education (now National Tsing Hua University, Department of Arts and Design), Hsinchu, Taiwan

  • 2022-

    Assistant Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2021-2022

    Part-time Assistant Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2021-2023

    Mekong Cultural Hub, Regional Representative, Taiwan

  • 2019-2021

    Assistant Professor on short-term contract, Department of Fine Arts, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2015-2019

    Department of Fine Arts, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2013-2014

    Exhibition producer, Crane Gallery, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

  • 2012-2013

    Founder (Exhibitions Curator & Administration Manager), Derive Art, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2011-2012

    Exhibitions Curator & International Contact, The Quan Curatorial Team．Micro-Creative Extension Programme at Stock 20 – Art Network of the Railway Warehouses in Taichung, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2009

    Member of the Reflection Committee, British Art Show 7, London, UK

  • 2009-2010

    Research assistant of Hongjohn Lin, the Curator of Taipei Biennial 2010, Taipei, Taiwan

  • 2009

    Assistant of Director, YAMAMOTO GENDAI at Zoo Art Fair 2009, London, UK

  • 2008

    Projects Manager, The Quan Artist Agency Co. Ltd., Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2006-2007

    Programmes Manager, L’orangerie International Art Consultant at Stock 20 – The Art Network of The Railway Warehouses in Taichung, Taichung, Taiwan

  • 2021

    Visual Arts Award Nominee, ‘A Rythem of Tree forming Forest’, The 20th Taishin Arts Award, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, Taiwan

  • 2021

    Visual Arts Award Nominee, ‘Survival of the Excpetional’, The 20th Taishin Arts Award, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, Taiwan

  • 2019

    Visual Arts Award Nominee, ‘2019 Madou Sugar Industry Art Triennial’, The 18th Taishin Arts Award, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, Taiwan

  • 2018

    Visual Arts Award Nominee, ‘Collective Negative Space Village – Ministry of Culture: Taiwan Air Force Innovation Base Experimental Architecture Project’, The 17th Taishin Arts Award, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, Taiwan

  • 2017

    Visual Arts Award Nominee, ‘Knead and Gain – Hou Chun Ming <Body Image> Interview project’, The 16th Taishin Arts Award, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, Taiwan

  • 2017

    Visual Arts Award Nominee, ‘Post-Ecolonialism Project – Practice Rooted in Communities’, The 16th Taishin Arts Award, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, Taiwan

  • 2016

    Visual Arts Award Nominee, ‘Situation of existence – Contemporary realistic art in East Asia’, The 15th Taishin Arts Award, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, Taiwan

  • 2015

    Grantee, Asian Cultural Council

  • 2013

    Visual Arts Award Finalists, ‘Yard’, The 11th Taishin Arts Award, Taishin Bank Foundation for Arts and Culture, Taiwan

  • 2012

    Winner, ‘Yard’, Funding for Art Exhibition, National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan

  • 2007

    Winner, One Take, Funding of ‘The Forest of Art – Ninety-nine Mountain Art Zone’, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan

  • 2006

    Honorary Membership, Phi Tau Phi Scholastic Honor Society of the Republic of China, Taiwan

  • 2003

    Scholarship of Lee Tze-Fan Fine Art and Crafts Education Foundation, Taiwan

  • Residency / Research
  • 2021

    Research of Visual Art Curatorial Projects: Observation Essay, National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan

  • 2018

    Residency Curator at Gwangju Museum of Art – curator exchange programme with Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, Gwangju, Korea