NON-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity

Inspired by Robert Smithson’s “non-sites” and the theme of the 2025 Venice Biennale, the exhibition explores Taiwan’s unique relationship with belief and non-belief in technology, efficiency, and control, framing its architecture as a resilient response to geopolitical and environmental challenges.  It examines Taiwan’s role as a contact zone shaped by historical, cultural, and ecological tensions.

“NON-Belief: Taiwan Intelligens of Precarity” seeks to identify and construct a grey area within the binary dialectic of “belief” and “non-belief” unique to Taiwan, uncovering various expressions of “Intelligens” and its impact on spatial governance.  Through three key themes—Efficiency, Technology, and Control—the exhibition critiques the global pursuit of speed and development (via Taiwan’s High-Speed Rail), the paradox of Taiwan as both a “tech island” and “eco island” (via TSMC and renewable energy), and the socio-ecological dynamics of urban governance.

The exhibition design, inspired by the “Lagoon – Island – Archipelago – Peninsula” concept, features a central “Island” installation, metal banquet-style stands, dimly lit paper terrain, and a Votive Lamp Wall of circuit boards mirroring Taiwanese temples. A juxtaposition of lightness and weight highlights Taiwan’s precarious balance between technology and ecology.

With 17 research projects and 12 architectural models, the exhibition positions Taiwan as a frontline of planetary resistance against authoritarianism and climate change, inviting visitors to engage with its evolving urban and environmental landscape.