Artists in Taiwan born after WWII are mostly academically trained. Even though they might not completely embrace and practice whatever their teachers had taught at school or during the process of their artistic creation, their teachers still play an inspiring role on their development as artists. Established in 1947, the Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), was the very first department of fine arts established in Taiwan after WWII. In 1950, its first class of students graduated and now it has over 70 classes of alumni. After graduation, some of its alumni pursued further studying and obtained higher degrees at home and others abroad before they made contributions to the development of arts in Taiwan through their artistic creation, teaching, participation in art activities, and serving as judges for art competitions. Present and active in art circles both domestically and internationally, its alumni have formed what is known as the “NTNU Group”.

In 2010, many senior professors (who are also alumni) of the Department such as WANG Hsiu-Hsiung; LIAO Shiou-Ping; FU Shen; HO Huai-Shuo; CHIANG Ming-Shyan; and HUANG Kuang-Nan established the Taiwan Academy of Fine Arts (TAFA). Its academicians are elites of art circles in Taiwan with outstanding achievements/influences in artistic creation and art research. TAFA is a private organization of art research and most of its members are alumni of the Department of Fine Arts, NTNU, the first of its kind in Taiwan, which is not only the cradle of art educators and artists in Taiwan but also the cornerstone of Taiwan’s contemporary art development. The exhibition is aptly titled “Sowers” to fully represent the importance and influence of TAFA and its members. 

Since its establishment in 2010, TAFA has held exhibitions in countries such as China, Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Malaysia. In addition to its continuous and tireless engagement in artistic creation and theoretical research, TAFA is committed to not only expanding art exchanges between Taiwan and the rest of the world but also promoting the development of arts in Taiwan. This exhibition at KMFA is the first major exhibition of TAFA in southern Taiwan, presenting to viewers the rich and diverse artistic achievements of 49 TAFA academicians who have different styles and specialize in different fields. Most of these 49 academicians received art education at home and abroad and also gained international exposure. They epitomize the characteristics of art development in Taiwan—diversity that comes from the combination of both local and international arts; richness in different facets of artistic creation; and vibrant energy of development. When looking at this exhibition by connecting the artists with Taiwan’s development of arts, viewers can further appreciate the cross-cultural connotations of their works. 



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