Taipei Biennial 2023 Explores a Smaller World Amid Global Crises

The 13th Taipei Biennial, titled 'Small World,' opened on 18 November 2023 at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, curated by Freya Chou, Reem Shadid, and Brian Kuan Wood. The exhibition reflects on the paradoxes of a world made smaller by the pandemic, social media, and technology, questioning whether this proximity fosters unity or division. The opening was shadowed by Israel's war on Gaza, with co-curator Reem Shadid quoting Syrian poet Riyad Al-Saleh Al-Hussein in her speech. Samia Halaby's kinetic painting performance with Julian Abraham (Togar) included protest chants like 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.' Works include Pio Abad's 'Laji No.97' (2023), exploring connections between Taiwan's Lanyu island and the Philippines' Batanes; Basim Magdy's film 'The Dent' (2014) on a town losing its identity; Raed Yassin's porcelain vases 'China' (2012) depicting Lebanon's Civil War; Natascha Sadr Haghighian's sound installation 'Watershed' (2023) with lyrics from Anita Mui's love song; Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork's inflatable structure 'Not Exactly (Whatever the New Key Is)' (2017–ongoing); Li Yi-Fan's 'What Is Your Favorite Primitive' (2023) on AI; Nadim Abbas's sand bunker 'Pilgrim in the Microworld' (2023); and Jen Liu's video 'The Land at the Bottom of the Sea' (2023) on technology and social issues in China. The biennial runs until 24 March 2024.