Art to Celebrate 30 Years of Israeli-Taiwanese Friendship

Israel is celebrating 30 years of Taiwan-Israel friendship, and the Israel Daily News Podcast was there to cover Yosifu Kacaw’s art exhibition. He was the artist selected to highlight the rich culture of Taiwan. 

Taiwan and Israel have cultivated a cordial relationship throughout the decades, united by shared values and a common struggle to gain independence, maintain democracy and offer their people freedom. 

The walls of Bat Yam’s design terminal were adorned with 13 of Yosifu’s colorful paintings which were mostly done with bold reds, blues and robust brush strokes. His “Tree of Life” mural stood tall for everyone to see on one of the warehouse walls, which was allocated for a permanent installation. The artist says he was given three days and a rickety ladder to get it done. 

Around 150 to 200 people came out to Thursday night’s event including government officials like the mayor of Bat Yam and member of Knesset Yorai Lahav Hertzano. The reception treated everyone to wines and snacks and once all assembled, the mayor, the venue head and Representative Ya-Ping Lee, better known as Abby Lee spoke before the artist gave an introduction and eventual tour of his exhibition which is on display for just another two weeks.

A few words about the artist – Yosifu was born in a village in Yuli Country, Taiwan. He now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, and stands as one of the rare artists in Europe who primarily explores the subject of Taiwan’s indigenous culture in his artistic endeavors. His paintings on display showed the faces of a number of different indigenous individuals from Taiwan, which the artist says many people don’t realize is actually a community. He went on to inform the crowd that in fact, many of the peoples who lived in New Zealand, Polynesia, and Hawaii are actually descendants of indigenous Taiwanese people. 

This is what Yosifu told the Israel Daily News during his interview. 

 “I think without love, everything will not be possible. I think love is a really really important message, even though we are a different kind of nation. But if we have a love, a love without a border, hopefully, we can, through art, can send this message because love is everything, love without borders.” 

Participants at the celebration say it’s not every day they get to focus on Israel and Taiwan relations, but that they are happy to participate in the festivities. Dana Halfon, an attendee, said she really enjoyed her experience. 

Dana told us:

“I think it’s important and it’s nice to give it a little attention because, in my daily living, I don’t think about it. It’s not a country you hear about in the daily news of Israel and Taiwan, maybe in a commercial side of living it’s quite positive to give attention to a positive relationship.” 

And finally the woman behind the concept for the event, representative Abby Lee tells Israel Daily News she brought Yosifu in because she was a personal fan of his work. She says she is hopeful about future relations between Israel and the taiwan. 

Abby Lee captures the essence of this event:

 “Over the past three decades, we see the friendship and cooperation has been broadened and deepened, creating a really strong bond between countries and peoples, and the support of Israel on Taiwan. Based on the shared value and shared interests, we see the momentum is very strong, and we look forward to more collaborations for the next 30 years or more.”