Rising in Fire: Hantoo Art Group – The Making of Taiwan's Art History

Bluerider ART is honoured to announce that following its inaugural presentation at the new Taipei Dunhua Gallery, “Rising in Fire: Hantoo Art Group — The Making of Taiwan’s Art History” will travel to Bluerider ART London • Mayfair, with a grand opening reception on October 16th, 2025. This marks not only the first collective entry of Hantoo Art Group into the European stage, but also the first large-scale presentation of Taiwanese artists in London’s premier international art district. Featuring over 60 works by 13 leading Taiwanese artists, the exhibition highlights nearly three decades of fierce resilience and groundbreaking creation in shaping Taiwan’s contemporary art history. For this London edition, the artists will attend the opening reception and take part in a public symposium to engage in dialogue with the UK art community.

Founded in 1998, the Hantoo Art Group has, for 27 years, experienced the turbulence of authoritarian rule, social transformation, and globalisation. Their work bears witness to Taiwan’s cultural journey from the margins toward self-definition, steadfastly defending artistic independence and a spirit of critique. They transform individual experience into collective memory, and local identity into the language of contemporary art—constructing a Taiwanese aesthetic that is inclusive, autonomous, serene yet pungently sharp. Hantoo’s language is deeply rooted in Taiwan’s land, refusing to be a simple appropriation of Western vocabularies; rather, it is a mosaic of diverse local contexts coalescing into a distinct spiritual landscape.

The exhibition title “Rising in Fire” symbolises trial, resistance, and rebirth. The artists of Hantoo emerged during Taiwan’s transitional era, persisting in creation despite the marginalisation of art in the economic sphere. They inscribed Taiwan’s art history with their very lives, writing in fire. The brotherhood is central to Hantoo’s identity, leaving a bold imprint on Taiwan’s art history. As Taiwan traversed dramatic shifts—from Japanese colonial modernisation (1895–1945), through martial law under the KMT (1949–1987), the lifting of martial law in 1987, and the first direct presidential election in 1996—its political and cultural contexts profoundly shaped artistic trajectories. By the 1980s, art moved from political struggle toward explorations of identity and memory; in the 1990s, globalisation expanded forms and perspectives. It was in this climate that Hantoo was founded by Yang Mao-Lin, Wu Tien-Chang, Lu Hsien-Ming, Kuo Wei-Kuo, Lee Ming-Chung, Yang Jen-Ming, and Lien Chien-Hsing, later joined by Lai Hsin-Lung, Tang Tang-Fa, Tu Wei-Cheng, Deng Wen-Jen, Chang Ling, and Chen Ching-Yao — 13 artists united by the core concept of “defending the image.” Initially centred on painting, their practices expanded into diverse forms that critically reflect social change, urban development, cultural conflict, and re-readings of history.

The London presentation brings together more than 60 works, offering deep insights into each artist’s recent practice:

Yang Mao-Lin — political totems of Taiwan’s native flora and fauna, tied to the land’s spirit.

Wu Tien-Chang — flamboyant “Tai-ke” aesthetics critiquing reality through surreal excess.

Lu Hsien-Ming — old trees as emblems of coexistence between nature and civilisation.

Kuo Wei-Kuo— fairy-tale allegories mirroring geopolitical tensions.

Lee Ming-Chung — balance of reason and passion through line and colour.

Yang Jen-Ming — abstractions of thought and inner flow.

Lien Chien-Hsing — magical realist visions of forests and dreams.

Lai Hsin-Lung — utopian dream-islands embodying the desire for freedom.

Tang Tang-Fa — market culture transformed into theatrical art stages.

Tu Wei-Cheng — fictitious Punan civilisation reimagined as archaeological ruins.

Deng Wen-Jen — embroidery reviving the memory of daily food culture.

Chang Ling — humorous prophecies confronting geopolitical anxiety.

Chen Ching-Yao — self-portraits critiquing political idol-making.

Through black humour, irony, laughter, and tears, the 13 artists respond to the umbilical bond with their homeland. Each work is a heartfelt invocation of Taiwan’s soil, shaping a unique aesthetic and perspective. Tempered by decades, their creations carry a sharpness honed to subtlety—light yet incisive, serene yet cutting. History is still in flight. They are still creating. A new fiery wave has arrived.

Opening Reception: Thursday, October 16, 2025 | 18:00–20:00 (Open to the public, with artists present)

Artist Talk: Friday, October 17, 2025 | 14:00–17:00 (Open to the public, with artists present)

Exhibition Dates: October 16 – December 31, 2025

Bluerider ART London • Mayfair

Hours: Daily, 10:00–18:00

info.uk@blueriderart.com