The Hong Foundation proudly announces its significant support of Tehching Hsieh: Lifeworks 1978–1999, the first comprehensive retrospective of the pioneering performance artist, opening October 4, 2025, at Dia Beacon. To mark this historic moment, the Hong Foundation will also present Hsieh with the Tung Chung Prize Special Achievement Award, recognizing his extraordinary contributions to contemporary and performance art worldwide, to mark the tenth anniversary of the Prize—an honor dedicated to fostering artists of Taiwanese origin or base.
Honoring a radical legacy: life as art
Hailed as one of the most influential and uncompromising figures in performance art, Taiwan-born Tehching Hsieh has profoundly reshaped the field through his groundbreaking lifeworks. Since the late 1970s, in his five iconic One Year Performances, Hsieh subjected himself to extreme conditions—living in confinement, punching a time clock every hour, surviving entirely outdoors, being tied to another person, and even refusing to make art (No Art Piece)—before extending this radical practice into his thirteen-year project Tehching Hsieh 1986–1999. Conceived on the scale of years, these lifeworks pushed the boundaries of art, time, and existence, inspiring artists across generations and cultures.
“As a long-time admirer of Tehching Hsieh’s work, I find his life story nothing short of legendary,” said Grace Cheung, Executive Director of the Hong Foundation. “In today’s context, his works speak powerfully on migration, freedom, endurance, and personal beliefs. Supporting this retrospective, and witnessing his practice showcased at such an important institution, is a deep honor. We look forward to strengthening Hsieh’s connection to a new generation of Taiwan artists.”
Innovators of the same era: sustaining artistic visions across generations
Established in 2015 in memory of Tung-Chung Chien, the Tung Chung Prize is a 1 million NTD annual award supporting exceptional creative output. Over the past decade, the Prize has supported both literary and contemporary artists whose perspectives resonate both within and beyond the Mandarin cultural sphere, affirming the Foundation’s mission to nurture artistic visions across generations and mediums.
Reflecting on this recognition, Hsieh remarked: “The Hong Foundation has supported cultural workers for over fifty years. It is a truly admirable family foundation. The Hong Foundation was founded fifty-four years ago, Dia Art Foundation fifty-one years ago, and I have lived in the United States for fifty years. We are innovators walking through the same era. The Foundation’s support for my exhibition at Dia, and its decision to present me with the 2025 Tung Chung Prize 10th Anniversary Special Award, carry profound meaning. As a Taiwanese and as an artist, I am deeply honored.”
Looking ahead, the Hong Foundation and Dia Art Foundation will expand collaboration onwards to 2026 and beyond by planning a series of public programs in Taiwan, details to be released at a later date.
About the Hong Foundation
Taiwan’s first and foremost private patron of art and culture since 1971, the Hong Foundation fosters bold creation and cultural transmission through visionary support for today’s most paradigm-shifting Taiwanese artists.
