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Social Distancing 2.0: A Review of Hsin-Hui Lin’s Contactless Intimacy

·July 13, 2023·7 min read

Hsin-Hui Lin's Contactless Intimacy is a claustrophobic character study, a dazzling exercise in worldbuilding, and a chilling thought experiment: what would happen if artificial intelligence gained the power to dictate human intimacy? In a world where physical contact is prohibited, relationships are optimized by machines, and free will is exposed as fiction, what might become of individual agency? Read More

“Tank Fairy” Proves A Spunky Queer Take on a Fixture of Taiwanese Life

English Film

·October 28, 2022·2 min read

Tank Fairy is a spunky queer take on a traditional fixture of Taiwanese urban life–the deliveryperson, invariably middle-aged and male, that brings canisters of gas that apartments use to boil hot water for cooking and showering Read More

Are Some Forms of Corruption in Taiwan More Socially Acceptable Than Others?

English Life

·December 9, 2022·2 min read

The popular influencer, bodybuilder Holger Chen, recently raised eyebrows with comments that one in three young people today have gang ties. Read More

The History of Queer Parties in Taiwan

English Interviews Music

·December 17, 2021·19 min read

Brian Hioe spoke to Levin Lo, or DJ Rainbowchild, a veteran of the queer party scene in Taiwan. Among other things, Rainbowchild was the DJ that played at the wedding banquet party that celebrated the legalization of gay marriage in Taiwan in May 2019, as the first place in Asia to legalize gay marriage. Rainbowchild currently DJs at Locker Room, CÉ LA VI Taipei, and other venues, having also DJed at the Werk parties, Fairy, and other venues Read More

“Dead Fishes” Depicts Generation Gaps and Poison Plots in a Tokyo Commuter Suburb

English Film

·February 25, 2024·2 min read

Japanese independent movie "Dead Fishes" offers an evocative depiction of slower-paced life in a Tokyo suburb, with a murder-related twist Read More

Review: Robert Frank and Gerhard Steidl: Photobooks at Democratic Art Objects

Art English Events

·September 14, 2025·9 min read

Robert Frank and Gerhard Steidl: Photobooks at Democratic Art Objects is a rare opportunity for photography fans in Taiwan to see the collaboration between Robert Frank, one of the finest artists the medium of photography has produced, and Gerhard Steidl, the most masterful and accomplished offset printer and photobook publisher of our time Read More

Taiwanese Horror Movie “Incantation” Offers Familiar Shocks, But Not Innovation

English Film

·July 12, 2022·3 min read

Incantation is the latest Taiwanese film to try bridging traditionally Taiwanese elements with contemporary horror (other recent examples include 2019 hit Detention). The film has been highly successful at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing Taiwanese movie of 2022 thus far. In fact, the film’s distributors tout it as being the highest-grossing Taiwanese horror movie of all time; the film made 23 million NT in its first three days in theaters. It may not be surprising, then, that Netflix will soon distribute Incantation internationally. Read More

Syaman Rapongan’s “Eyes of the Ocean” Proves Rare Example of Taiwanese Indigenous Literature in English

Books English

·August 29, 2025·2 min read

Syaman Rapongan's Eyes of the Ocean proves a rare opportunity to glimpse the accomplished Taiwanese Indigenous writer’s work in English. In this sense, Eyes of the Ocean is one of the rare works of Taiwanese Indigenous literature translated into English to date Read More

“Rewind, Pause, Then Play” Reminisces on the Videotape’s History in South Korea

English Film

·July 17, 2023·2 min read

Documentary “Rewind, Pause, Then Play” looks at how the videotape connected South Korea with the world during its authoritarian period Read More

To Ruthlessly Self-Dissect: A Conversation with Wag6ie

English Interviews Music

·January 14, 2022·2 min read

Brian Hioe interviewed Hong Kong artist Wag6ie about their new MV, Unbelievable. The following article originally appeared on Electric Soul, a Hong Kong-based electronic music magazine and ticketing platform, on December 20th Read More

看電影關心籠鍊犬—枷/家影評

Chinese Film

·October 19, 2022·1 min read

《枷/家》是導演與動物平權促進會聯合製作的短紀錄片，是部為了告知公眾籠鍊犬議題、為具體的提倡目的而製的影片。籠鍊犬是長期被鍊養的狗，他們很少有每日走動的機會，或是得到最低標準的適當對待。本片不會在平常的電影院、電視節目，或是網路平台播放，而是在動平會舉辦在部落和學校的活動中播出。 Read More

Calling Attention to the Plight of Chained Dogs: A Review of Jia (枷/家)

English Film

·October 14, 2022·4 min read

Jia, a short documentary film produced in association with the Taiwan Animal Equality Association, is an advocacy film made to inform the public about chained dogs. Chained dogs are dogs who are kept chained all year round, rarely with daily walks or the usual treatments that reach the minimum threshold of appropriate care Read More