New Taipei City Art Museum opens

A museum for all
After years of preparation, New Taipei City’s first public art museum, the New Taipei City Art Museum (NTCAM), will open on April 25, 2025—as announced today by Mayor Hou Yu-ih. Positioned as a public art museum, the NTCAM aims to be more than just a cultural landmark by seeking to actively engage with citizens, artists, and the broader community through dialogue and collaborative projects. The mayor invites residents to preview the Museum during the soft opening from April 8 to April 13.

A city museum: local roots, global reach
The NTCAM is located in the Yingge District, just a 30-minute drive from Taiwan's capital, Taipei. Nestled at the confluence of the Yingge River and the Dahan River in the Sanying Reclaimed Land, it is a key cultural initiative by the New Taipei City Government to promote local development and urban renewal. As a driving force for cultural innovation in the city, the museum integrates art, landscape design, lifestyle aesthetics, cultural tourism, and technology to foster cultural growth and economic development.

As New Taipei City’s first contemporary art museum, it aims to serve local residents and promote varied artistic voices. Upholding the vision of local roots, global reach, the NTCAM connects cultural spaces and art communities across New Taipei City, while building international partnerships. Through this approach, it explores how local issues connect to global themes, exemplifying a contemporary museum’s role in public engagement and professional arts development.

A public museum built on dialogue and collaboration
The museum reimagines what an art space can be, grounded in public access and comprehensive learning opportunities. It prioritizes talent cultivation and arts education, while at the same time developing innovative models for public participation and interactive learning. It offers programs for all ages, including family-friendly spaces and educational activities. Artist residencies and interactive programs allow visitors to engage directly with creative work and cultural exchange.

The NTCAM is more than just a place to display art, notes Director LAI Hsiang-ling: “We want to be a responsive institution that listens to our community. By taking an inclusive approach and encouraging dialogue between different groups, we aspire to make a meaningful impact on society.”

Contemporary reflections, future dreams: NTCAM’s opening exhibitions
In alignment with its vision and core values, the NTCAM celebrates its opening with five major exhibitions: NTCAM Collection: Encounters in Reflection explores New Taipei City’s artistic heritage; Reimagining Radical Cities, an international exhibition connecting local and global art perspectives; The Ongoing Nature offers an interactive experience where visitors can participate in art making. The museum’s Gray Box Space features a commissioned project, Xindian Boys: Don’t Worry, Baby, while additional art projects fill the lobby and corridors. Together, these exhibitions serve as a vessel for artistic exchange, and catalyst for creative inspiration, highlighting local culture and global themes, reflecting our present moment while envisioning what lies ahead.

The NTCAM represents more than just local growth; it is a manifesto about our cultural moment. As a public institution, NTCAM works with diverse communities to create a forward-looking cultural space where possibilities are endless – and where a new chapter will begin in New Taipei’s artistic journey.

International advisory committee
Since the establishment of its planning office in November 2019, NTCAM has been committed to fostering aesthetic education for all ages, supporting local artistic creation and exchange, and organizing museum-school collaborations and cultural exploration programs. These initiatives aim to strengthen the city’s artistic ecosystem and promote a harmonious synergy between cultural and economic growth, embodying the vision of inclusive urban aesthetics. The museum has convened an International Advisory Committee comprising distinguished members: Patrick Flores, Deputy Director and Curatorial Head of the National Gallery Singapore; Aric Chen, Director of Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam; Hanru Hou, independent curator; Mami Kataoka, Director of the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo; and Clara Kim, Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Their collective expertise bridges global art trends and cultural systems, offering strategic guidance, fostering international collaborations, and providing a platform for local artists to thrive on the world stage.

About LAI Hsiang-ling, Director of New Taipei City Art Museum    
LAI Hsiang-Ling, the inaugural director of the New Taipei City Art Museum (NTCAM), brings over three decades of experience in art history and museology, marked by a commitment to experimental innovation, public engagement, and international dialogue in contemporary art. Her work has significantly advanced the study and dissemination of Taiwan’s art history while exploring new institutional models. Lai has held pivotal roles, including director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, where she redefined institutional practices, and spearheaded the establishment of the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai and the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB). Her curatorial expertise, honed at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, continues to shape critical discourse and foster transformative cultural initiatives.
 

Media enquiries
New Taipei City Art Museum: CHUEH Chiao-ting, T +886 2 2679 6088 ext. 623 / M +886 987 065 086 / cchueh23@ntcart.museum
Sutton: Kelly Tai, kelly@suttoncomms.com