"Life is art; art is life." This well-known saying denotes not only an abstract concept but also an attitude to be realized in everyday cognition, appreciation, expression, and creation. Artists, in their daily lives, observe their living environment closely for inspiration, so they are often more sensitive than others to environmental issues. Generally, they can adopt a distinctive perspective in understanding environmental changes and express their concerns through creative structuring of various media and styles.
Among all the issues of environmental changes, that of global warming is the most critical in its importance to all living species, and the most dramatic in its influence on everyday lives. Increasing amounts of natural habitats are being destroyed because of global warming, and the lives of numerous species are under threat globally. Among all the threatened species, birds are the epitome of this grave situation because the delicate and complicated patterns of their migration and habitation are very susceptible to the ecological changes. From the way their lives are influenced, we get a glimpse of how the macrocosmic environment sustains the impact of global warming.
This exhibition will therefore focus on the lives of birds as influenced by the effects of global warming. Through these artistic presentations, we hope to promote in the general public a deeper and more proactive understanding of the issue. Coexisting with birds and many other life forms on the planet Earth and being the originator of the global warming effect, human beings should bear the responsibility of restoring that planet’s ecological environment and saving the endangered species.
To this end, the National Museum of History is cooperating with the Center for Cultural and Creative Industry, National Taiwan Normal University Cultural &Creative Industries Center, and the Kenting National Park to curate this exhibition. We have divided this exhibition into four sections, including Evolution, Biological Diversity, Environmental Changes, and Ecological Ethics. We have invited many famous artists from Taiwan to present their works at the event. These works, of which there are 90 in total,have been produced in various media, such as watercolor, oil painting, drawing, ink painting, computer-generated images, pottery, wood carving, metal sculpture, and installation. They are to be shown in the National Gallery on the second floor of the museum. In addition to their ecological, artistic, and academic value, these works are products of the artists' perception and concern for Mother Nature, and they will certainly stir the audience’s love of its own living environment.