London Craft Week 2023 – Taiwan Pavilion

When Portuguese sailors first reached the Taiwanese coast in the early sixteenth century, they called the place “La Ihla Formosa – beautiful island.”

Regardless of the authenticity of this anecdote, the beautiful island of Taiwan thrives on the abundance of natural resources and a long history of cultures. Taiwan is located at the junction of the subtropical and the tropical zone. It boasts a high density of mountains of more than 3000m and a body of water from the nearby Taiwan Strait that is more than 1000m deep.

The beautiful island is home to a great biological diversity. Located on the northern border of Austronesian, the island’s early immigrants from Fujian and Guangdong in the 17th to 19th century joined forces and mingled with former colonial world powers from Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Japan. In late 1940’s and 1950’s a group of Chinese immigrants, arrived with the Nationalist KMT government.

In the turn of the century, new waves of Southeast Asian nationals have flocked to the island for work and for marriage. Together with other inhabitants, they all contributed to cultural diversity of the Taiwan society.

Taiwan’s craft art, just like the diversity of Taiwanese culture, has come out in different styles and characteristics as well.

Exhibition Duration: 2023.5.10 - 2023.5.14

Venue: Gallery 7, Cromwell Place

Address: 1-5 Cromwell Place, South Kensington, London, SW7 2JE