Taipei 101 art exhibition transforms semiconductors into butterflies

台北101藝術展將半導體晶片轉化成蝴蝶

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taipei 101 Office Tower has launched a contemporary art exhibition, The Pulse of the City, running from Thursday to Feb. 26, 2026.

Curated by Hu Chao-sheng (胡朝聖), the exhibition integrates art into the daily environment of the international landmark under the core concept that “Art is the first spark driving urban evolution.” The show invites visitors to feel the vital resonance between the city and art.

The exhibition features 16 works—spanning painting, sculpture, video, and interactive installations — from five artists and groups: Chen Wan-jen (陳萬仁), Huang Hai-hsin (黃海欣), Keng Chieh-sheng (耿傑生), Lo I-chun (羅懿君), and the cross-disciplinary team Whyixd Art Group. The pieces explore Taipei’s multifaceted nature, addressing technology, social observation, and environmental sustainability.

Hu told Taiwan News that the curatorial core is to capture the city's dynamic quality and pulse. The works do not require physical movement but must allow the viewer to perceive motion or resonance.

He highlighted Huang’s neon light gym series, which stemmed from the artist’s observation of gym culture during the pandemic. The neon-lit work complements the fitness facilities and restaurants upstairs, using humor and satire to reflect modern life.

“The work uses a more positive way to embody this ‘pulse.’ Especially when faced with massive changes and viral threats, exercise has become a global trend,” Hu said.

For the office tower environment, Chen's video installation uses pink light and street imagery to "mitigate the relatively cold atmosphere of the office tower." Hu said that the work documents common city pigeons, which appear like the office workers shuttling through the building. The figures are superimposed with currency symbols, such as dollars, euros, and Taiwan dollars, humorously reflecting the daily economic hustle in the Xinyi District.

The exhibition also features Keng's kinetic installation. It depicts a blurry cluster of office worker figures with stainless steel spheres beneath, constantly swaying, creating a subtle "balance of terror." Hu believes the piece resonates with tower occupants, as it demonstrates the commitment and effort of countless individuals behind urban development.

Lo transforms Taiwan's past agricultural cash crops, such as sugarcane residue and salt, into materials combined with historical images. This creates a time depth from the past agricultural economy to the present semiconductor chip industry, helping audiences re-examine the nation's cultural evolution.

Whyixd Art Group’s work cleverly incorporates Taiwan’s semiconductor chips as a key medium, transforming them into butterfly shapes that symbolize life and transformation, showcasing a poetic dialogue between technology and nature.

Hu said that the exhibition pieces must possess a Taiwanese characteristic, using the Taipei 101 platform to showcase outstanding domestic artists and demonstrate Taiwan's international perspective in art and aesthetics.

The exhibition is displayed in the first-floor lobby and Gallery 101 of the Taipei 101 Office Tower.