Launching an International Collaboration with the Matsu Biennial — A New Partnership Connecting Islands
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2025.12.17
Launch of an International Collaboration with the Matsu Biennial (Taiwan)
The Sado Island Galaxy Art Festival is pleased to announce a new international collaboration with the Matsu Biennial in Taiwan.
On this occasion, we are honored to share a message from Han Wo, Chief Curator of the Matsu Biennial, addressed to Sado.
On this occasion, we are honored to share a message from Han Wo, Chief Curator of the Matsu Biennial, addressed to Sado.
Reflecting on the shared histories of islands shaped by geopolitics, rich maritime cultures, and the role of contemporary art in imagining future possibilities, his message offers insight into the significance of this island-to-island dialogue and its future outlook.
Below, we present the message from Han Wo.
Message from Han Wo
Chief Curator, Matsu Biennial
Matsu is an archipelago located in the northeastern part of the Taiwan Strait, consisting of Beigan, Nangan, Juguang, and Dongyin. Due to its proximity to mainland China, Matsu served as a geopolitical frontline during the Cold War, forming a unique landscape where military heritage, maritime culture, and everyday island life intersect.
The Matsu Biennial, launched in 2022, is Taiwan’s first biennial based on a ten-year artistic action plan. Through contemporary art, we reinterpret Matsu’s terrain and history, transforming military bunkers, tunnels, traditional villages, and public spaces into sites of artistic dialogue.
The third edition centers on the themes of Ocean, Island, and Frontline, inviting artists from Taiwan and abroad to respond to Matsu’s natural environment, language, spiritual traditions, and military cultural heritage.
Our collaboration with the Sado Island Galaxy Art Festival is deeply meaningful. Although geographically distant, Matsu and Sado share parallels in their island identities, historical experiences shaped by geopolitics, and a common aspiration to envision the future through art.
Extending the 2025 edition, the Matsu Biennial will present the special seasonal program “Northeast Monsoon Edition”. In 2026, during Sado’s winter edition, a Taiwanese artist recommended by the Matsu Biennial will present a new commission on Sado Island.
Through this collaboration, we hope that islands can continue to learn from one another, resonate across borders, and cultivate new cultural imaginaries. We warmly welcome friends from Sado to visit Matsu during the Northeast Monsoon season.
About the Matsu Biennial
The Matsu Biennial is Taiwan’s first biennial, launched in 2022 on the Matsu Islands in the northeastern Taiwan Strait. Based on a ten-year artistic action plan, it activates military heritage sites, tunnels, traditional villages, and public spaces as exhibition venues, reinterpreting island history and daily life through contemporary art while remaining closely connected to the world.
Matsu Biennial
Future Program on Sado Island (Winter Edition 2026)
During the Winter Edition 2026 of the Sado Island Galaxy Art Festival, a Taiwanese artist recommended by the Matsu Biennial will be invited to present a new work on Sado Island.
Invited Artist:
Xin Qi (Fake Fire Atelier)
This project marks an ongoing dialogue between island-based art festivals, sharing perspectives on memory, landscape, and culture across borders.