2017 Contemporary Enamel Art Exhibition from Korea, the US and Taiwan

Enamel is a traditional craft that involves firingpowdered glass to fuse it with metal bodies. It is typically applied tojewelry, household items, ornaments, and art. Common techniques includecloisonné, champlevé, plique-à-jour, and painted enamel. Because of itsheat-resistant, thermal-conductive, thermal-retentive, corrosion-resistant, andcolorful properties, it is widely applied to tableware, cooking utensils, andbathroom items. 

Humans have been using enamel for more than threethousand years. The earliest known archaeological record of its use wasdiscovered in the Mediterranean region. Enamel techniques later spread toEgypt, Mesopotamia, and India. The craft reached China from Central Asia aroundthe thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and led to the height of cloisonnéenamel in the Ming dynasty. In the second half of the twentieth century, duringTaiwan’s economic boom, enamel products also became a major export. 

Enameling requires sophisticated techniques andprocesses, some of which were once in danger of being lost. In early twentiethcentury, artists of the Art Nouveau movement brought enamel to another peak ofprominence. The western world in the 70s and 80s also saw a resurgence ofenameling which led to a new age of enamel. 

In Taiwan, although enamel is considered a majortechnique in traditional metalworking and was once a major industry, academicand creative interest and development had dwindled along with its industrialproduction. In the twenty-first century, enamel artists from the West visitedTaiwan and brought new techniques and visions. After more than a decade ofefforts, enamel art has regained popularity, especially among the youngergenerations. Its future is hopeful. 

The “2017Contemporary Enamel Art Exhibition from Korea, the US and Taiwan” is Taiwan’sfirst large-scale international exhibition on contemporary enamel art. Featuredin the exhibition are 50 artists from Taiwan, the US, and Korea, whose workscombine tradition and innovation in terms of both form and techniques. Theirsubjects and ideas also demonstrate the rich diversity in today’s art world.

Date：2017. 5.20. - 7.02.

Opening hours: Tuesdays to Sundays (including national holidays): from9:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Add：No. 41, Nan Hai Rd.,Zhongzheng District, Taipei City. TEL：(02)2388-7066