2026.04.15
The 2026 Spring x Tsing Hua Arts Festival runs from now through May 22. In collaboration with a Polish university art team, National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) transforms Hsinchu's iconic East Gate into an international projection mapping stage. Image: Concept rendering of the International Projection Mapping Art Festival.
The 2026 Spring x Tsing Hua Arts Festival, National Tsing Hua University's (NTHU) flagship annual arts event, has officially launched. This year marks a milestone as the University partners for the first time with a Polish artistic team, reimagining Hsinchu's historic East Gate as an international projection mapping stage—bringing contemporary art into direct dialogue with the city's everyday life.
Spanning exhibitions, performances, forums, and workshops, the festival foregrounds interdisciplinary practice and international collaboration. Highlights include the participatory exhibition “Waiting for the Wind: The Boxes of Memories in Hsinchu,” a series of concerts by internationally acclaimed musicians, and a range of programs that engage both campus and community.
Reframing Heritage Through New Media
At the heart of the festival is the 2026 International Projection Mapping Art Festival, taking place from May 14 to 20 at Hsinchu East Gate. Curated by Professor Ya-Lun Tao of NTHU's Institute of Art and Technology in collaboration with students from SWPS University (Poland), the project integrates projection mapping, interactive media, and live performance to reanimate a historic site through contemporary artistic language.
Positioning the East Gate as a “digital art engine,” the work invites audiences to reconsider the relationship between heritage, technology, and urban experience. Following its premiere in Hsinchu, the project is scheduled to tour Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei and SWPS University in Poland, extending its dialogue across multiple cultural contexts.
Dean of the College of Arts, Fang-Yu Chang, noted that in its third year, the festival has evolved from a campus-centered initiative into a platform for civic engagement and international exchange—embedding artistic practice within both local and global networks.
Archiving the City Through Collective Memory
Also featured is “Waiting for the Wind: The Boxes of Memories in Hsinchu,” on view at Feng Livehouse. Developed through collaboration between NTHU faculty, students, and Hsinchu residents, the exhibition comprises 187 box-based works, each containing objects of personal significance.
Together, these pieces form a constellation of “micro-museums,” preserving lived experience while tracing the city's transformation from its historical origins to a contemporary center of technological innovation.
Curator Su-chen Hsieh, Director of the Hung Liang Art Museum at NTHU, describes the exhibition as an invitation to engage memory as both personal narrative and shared urban history.
International Artists Arrive in Taiwan for Performances, Masterclasses Deepen Musical Training
The festival also features performances and masterclasses by leading international musicians, including renowned pianist Konstantin Scherbakov, who will present a recital and work closely with students in a masterclass setting.
A protégé of Lev Naumov and First Prize winner of the 1983 Rachmaninoff Competition in Moscow, Scherbakov has collaborated with major conductors and orchestras worldwide. His extensive discography, which spans Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas and the only complete recording of Godowsky's works, has established him as a distinctive voice in the contemporary piano world.
Exploring Language, Identity, and Sound
Expanding the festival's interdisciplinary scope, “Sing Your Language: Sound Without Borders” brings together artists whose practices are shaped by multilingual and diasporic experiences. Through artist talks and international music creation residencies at NTHU, participants engage in collaborative composition that navigates language, identity, and cultural translation.
A Return to the National Stage
In celebration of NTHU's 115th anniversary and 70 years in Taiwan, “Beyond 115 – The NTHU Anniversary Gala Concert” will be presented at the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts (Weiwuying) on May 18.
Led by Dean Fang-Yu Chang and Professor Wei-Lung Li, Chair of the Department of Music, the production reflects the University's integrated approach to artistic training—bridging pedagogy and professional practice while offering students experience on a national stage.
Connecting Campus and City: Building a Cross-disciplinary Arts Platform
Running through May 22, the 2026 Spring x Tsing Hua Arts Festival encompasses more than 20 programs across Hsinchu, Taipei, and Kaohsiung. With the participation of over seven international artists and collaborators from Europe, Asia, and the Americas, the festival positions NTHU as a site of convergence for artistic innovation, cultural dialogue, and global exchange.
Vice President Ping-Chiang Lyu emphasized that the festival reflects the University's sustained commitment to the arts and contributes to the cultural dimension of its institutional milestones. By integrating international collaboration, local memory, and interdisciplinary practice, the festival extends artistic engagement beyond the campus and into the fabric of the city.
Deputy Mayor Kun-Han Lin of Hsinchu City noted that NTHU continues to play a vital role in shaping the city's cultural and intellectual landscape. This year's festival further strengthens the connection between academic creativity and public life, and highlights the ongoing collaboration between the University and the city government to advance arts education and cultural development.
Organized by the College of Arts at NTHU, with support from the Hsinchu City Government, the Spring Foundation, and alumni associations, the festival runs through May 22. Selected events require advance registration.
Distinguished guests gather at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Spring x Tsing Hua Arts Festival, marking the official launch of the event. From left: Fang-Yu Chang (Dean, College of Arts, NTHU); Chang-Ching Ho (Chairman, KATEC Corp.); Lih-Juann Chen (President, University System of Taiwan); Ping-Chiang Lyu (Vice President, NTHU); Kun-Han Lin (Deputy Mayor, Hsinchu City); Hsiang-Yu Wang (Director General, Hsinchu City Cultural Affairs Bureau); and Deng-Sung Lin (University Librarian, NTHU).
Ping-Chiang Lyu, Vice President of NTHU, noted that the festival has entered its third year, reflecting the University's sustained commitment to arts education and its engagement with the broader community.
Kun-Han Lin, Deputy Mayor of Hsinchu City, emphasized the city government's continued collaboration with NTHU to advance arts education and cultural development.
Representing the Spring Foundation, Chang-Ching Ho, Chairman of KATEC Corp., attended the opening ceremony and expressed strong support for the festival.
Visitors experience the exhibition “Waiting for the Wind: The Boxes of Memories in Hsinchu” at WIND Livehouse, where cardboard-based artworks embody personal stories and collective urban memory.
Installation view of “Waiting for the Wind: The Boxes of Memories” in Hsinchu at WIND Livehouse.
Installation view of “Waiting for the Wind: The Boxes of Memories” in Hsinchu at WIND Livehouse.
Han-Yan Hu, Chairman of CHI DEH CRANE ENGINEERING CO., LTD. —widely known as the “Chupei Crane King”—also contributed a cardboard artwork to the exhibition “Waiting for the Wind: The Boxes of Memories in Hsinchu.”
