‘Embrace the Maze’: Skybridge and Floating Stairs Add Excitement and Adventure to Mighty New Taiwan Museum.

Navigating the brand new Taichung Art Museum in central Taiwan feels like engaging with a living sculpture. Created by the prestigious Japanese architecture firm Sanaa, the complex comprises eight unconventionally angled buildings that seamlessly merge an art museum with a public library. Wrapped in shimmering, mesh-like silver walls, the interior boasts vast vertical spaces and meandering pathways.

Beyond the airy lobby—a space that blurs boundaries—visitors stroll along paths and ramps, discovering they are in a library one moment and a top-tier art exhibition the next. A portal might open up to a elevated walkway offering vistas from a rooftop garden, providing sweeping panoramas of Taichung’s Central Park, or into a snug teenage reading nook. Staircases appear to float on building exteriors, and floor levels are deliberately disparate, enhancing each space’s unique purpose and vibe rather than adhering to a rigid, uniform layout.

“It is ‘easy to get lost in’,” observes Lan Yu-hua, an associate researcher at the museum, with a laugh. But she maintains that’s part of the intended experience: “We say that losing your way is positive.”

This municipal government-led project stands as the latest in a string of ambitiously designed museums and performance venues established across Taiwan over the past two decades.

Pritzker Laureates at Work

Led by 2010 Pritzker Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa—the duo behind the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and the Sydney Modern gallery—Sanaa worked alongside the Taiwanese firm Ricky Liu & Associates Architects+Planners on the lengthy development. The Taichung city government’s original request was for an art museum and a library on a single site.

The final result has blurred the distinctions between the two institutions. The design encourages visitors to slow down, easily picturing a day spent studying or creating in the library, interspersed with leisurely walks through halls of art.

“We are truly delighted that we are with the library under one roof, because I think that can truly attract another layer of audiences for us,” states Yi-Hsin Lai, the museum’s director.

Inaugural Exhibitions and Global Art

The museum’s inaugural presentation feature new installations by acclaimed South Korean artist Haegue Yang and Taiwanese artist Michael Lin. Yang’s major piece offers an abstract representation on the banyan trees and fireflies ubiquitous in Taiwan and Korea. Dangling in the 27-meter-high central atrium, it incorporates her signature venetian blinds with lights and steel frames. At night, the luminous emission from her work shines through the exterior mesh from a considerable distance.

The larger opening exhibition, titled A Call of All Beings, is an diverse yet unified mix of commissioned works and newly acquired pieces by artists from 20 countries. Curated by an international team, it juxtaposes master painters from mid-20th century Taiwan alongside postmodern video works. In a notable coup, the curators also obtained original early sketches from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince and archival photographs of Helen Keller.

The exhibition highlights Taiwanese artists, especially those from Taichung. There is also a particular effort on including artists with disabilities—a poignant initiative.

Boosting the Island’s Artistic Stature

For Taiwan’s art sector, this new museum represents a significant opportunity to raise Taiwan’s presence in the global art scene and further “decentralize” cultural focus from the capital, Taipei. Taichung, the island’s biggest metropolitan area outside Taipei, is a quick high-speed rail journey from Taipei and already hosts a respected Museum of Fine Arts and a growing sector of private galleries. However, it has historically struggled to attract international art tourists.

“It’s quite dynamic and vibrant now. We hope that in a few years Taichung can be an recognized Asian cultural destination,” expresses Director Lai.

Claudia Chen, chair of a major Taiwanese art association, describes the new museum as a potential “gamechanger” for the country, “moving the center of gravity from the north to south.”

“While Taichung and southern Taiwan have had many arts and cultural events in the past, none have reached the prestige and impact of Taipei,” Chen notes.

Another arts foundation executive, Jenny Yeh, remarks that Sanaa’s involvement has garnered global interest and built upon Taiwan’s existing artistic momentum. “This will encourage more international visitors to explore beyond Taipei and gain a fuller sense of Taiwan’s cultural landscape. Overall, it will be a tremendous help to Taiwan’s visibility on the global stage.”

The museum officially opens its doors in mid-December, expecting a overwhelmingly domestic audience, at least initially, alongside visiting international press and museum professionals.