Sometimes, even after living in the same city for years, you still haven’t truly explored it and may know it less than visitors do. Taipei, a melting pot of people from many places, may be a bit distant from nature, but there are still many worthwhile spots to discover where you can relax and unwind on weekends. This Arts & Culture Map introduces Taipei’s galleries and museums, which regularly hold current exhibitions and international shows to provide spaces for relaxation and aesthetic growth. Consider jotting down the locations so you won’t be at a loss for places to visit on your days off.
Address: No. 1, Jiantan Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City
The 2023 Taipei Arts Festival production The Sun and the Sea, which many people have recently shared on Instagram, was the tour performance organized by Taipei Performing Arts CenterIt opened in July 2022 and was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, a Pritzker Architecture Prize winner. CNN selected it as one of the eight most disruptive buildings of 2021; its huge spherical exterior is the building’s highlight.
Rem Koolhaas drew inspiration from a “theatrical magic cube” and used a 3+1 theater design as the core, including a 500-seat main theater, a multi-format mid-sized theater seating 500–800, a unique spherical mirror-frame mid-sized theater seating 500–800 with the world’s only spherical audience chamber, and a 2,300-seat super theater that connects the mid-sized theater and the main theater. It regularly invites performing arts groups from home and abroad to tour and exhibit. If you’re unsure where to go on the weekend, take a stroll around the Taipei Performing Arts Center.
Address: No. 300, Guanquan Rd, Yingge District, New Taipei City
「New Taipei City Museum of ArtIt officially opened this April after many years of preparation and is considered the newest art landmark in northern Taiwan. Its form is inspired by “a modern art museum among the reeds,” blending natural imagery with modern style and presenting different aesthetics by day and night. Its core concept is to build Yingge into an art city as a “people’s art museum,” aiming to make the museum a bridge between the public and society.
When the park first opened, it invited many cross-disciplinary creators to take up residence, including product designers, illustrators, textile designers, florists, graphic designers, photographers, and food designers, and invited visitors to create together—turning viewers into creators to achieve artistic inclusion.
Address: No. 70, Section 1, Zhongxiao West Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
If you’re a photography enthusiast, you can visit the National Center for Photography and Images — Taipei HallIt opened to the public in April 2021 and is hailed as an important milestone in the development of photography in Taiwan. Besides regularly hosting photography exhibitions, it has a permanent exhibition, “Cross・Intersect・Communicate,” which leads visitors through the Taipei Hall’s historical context. Beginning with designs by Japanese architect Watanabe Setsu, the building has witnessed Taiwan’s historical progress and was designated a municipal historic site by the Cultural Affairs Bureau in 2014.
Address: No. 170, Section 2, Keelung Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
「DOPENESS ART LABIt’s a bit mysterious, tucked away in Da’an District. The building’s exterior is minimalist and modern like exposed concrete. There’s little information available online—no website, only an IG—no tickets are required, there are no exhibition signs, no guided or audio tours, and no commercial activities. You’re free to explore and wander inside without being disturbed. They’ve invited rising Polish artist Magda Kirk and New York-based popular artist David Williams; the exhibitions lean toward avant-garde contemporary art, making it a very distinctive exhibition space.
Address: No. 1, Lane 86, Xinming Road, Neihu District, Taipei City
Located in Neihu, the “Iri Art Project” building likewise features a minimalist modern concrete exterior. It transformed old ironworks and vehicle warehouses into a gallery and uses floor-to-ceiling windows to create natural light and shadow. From basement to rooftop, it covers 1,200 square meters with interior spaces planned as different curatorial zones, including the “Cabinet of Curiosities,” a main exhibition hall with a 4.7-meter ceiling, an experimental art basement, a fantastical staircase for privately held works, and an outdoor art rooftop. It’s not just a gallery but a museum-like contemporary experimental art venue.
Address: B1–5F, No. 10, Lane 107, Linsen North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
The exhibition space on Linsen North Road, “Wetland | venue,” is surrounded by an area that became Taipei’s nightlife hub for Japanese residents in the 1950s and ’60s, forming a unique “strip street” culture. Wetland | venue’s predecessor was the long-abandoned Moon Hotel; its ruin-like space now gives it character and makes it a creative experimental base. In addition to exhibitions and screenings, it hosts music performances and lectures, and includes a café and a bar—an ideal urban hideaway for men and women to enjoy life day and night.
Address: 1F, No. 42-1, Lane 553, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
「Contemporary by ULocated in a quiet alley beside Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, this takeout coffee window combines a multi-functional business model and hopes visitors can enjoy art while tasting coffee so art feels less distant. “Contemporary by U” focuses on contemporary art and believes art should not be limited by expensive labels. They regularly hold art talks and collaborate each season with different international artists for exhibitions, aiming to bring relief to busy urban life.
If you don’t have time to go far, we recommend visiting these exhibition spaces on weekends. Give yourself time to sort through the constant mental noise; absorbing nourishment gives you energy to produce — maybe some problems will resolve.
