Painting was the first lasting form of human creativity and has developed many graphical, expressionistic, and technical styles. In the modern era, the challenges of photography, conceptual art, and other technologies have evolved painting into more than a representation of nature or a simple aesthetic pleasure for the eyes. In this rapidly changing age of information, when the world is perceived through increasingly diverse media, artists have also endeavored to break away from the frameworks of traditional creative media and representative approaches in order to reflect on and react to the contemporary context. That is why, when a painting is characterized as “contemporary,” it resumes the repetitive speculation on the nature of painting as well as reviewing the definition of painting from all possible perspectives—it is a reference to and investigation of the history of painting that seeks to identify, to transform, or to recalibrate the evaluation of painting in the present moment.

Held biennially, the purpose of the CTBC Painting Prize is to encourage younger artists toward novel creativity and to prepare them for diverse and extraordinary painted works. The first CTBC Painting Prize in 2021 saw the submission of 790 works, demonstrating the enthusiasm toward the prize of creators in Taiwan. The committee chose twenty insightful pieces that reflect the spirit of our time to show at the Kuandu Museum of Fine Arts, serving not only as a promotional event for the public, but also as a bridge to communicate with a wider audience of students and other professionals. These prize-winning works of contemporary painting will also be included in the collection of the CTBC Foundation for Arts and Culture and further promoted in the future as part of the enterprise’s work.

Prize winners and exhibitioners (names in alphabetical order):
First Prize: Tsai Yi-Ju
Merit Prize: Chou Tai-Chun, Hsieh Mu-Chi, Su Huang-Sheng
Honorable Mention: Chang En-Tzu, Chang Hui-Ling, Chen Yi-Ting, Cheng Nung-Hsuan, Fu Ning, Huang Hai-Hsin, Huang Yen-Hsun, Huang Shun-Ting, Li Bing-Ao, Liao Zen-Ping, Lu Chiao-Chih, Ou Jing-Yun, Peng Yi-Hsuan, Tseng Shu-Fen, Wang Liang-Yin, Wang Ting-Yu