Curtains of Yearning

Young Art- Understanding the World Through Art 

The Co-learning Project features an art education workshop for children in elementary school grades 2-6. The program includes Discussion Classes, which use stories and creative activities to explore contemporary issues Exhibition Classes, which take participants directly to exhibition venues for an open-ended artistic experience.

Curtains of Yearning

What exactly is the feeling of yearning?

Whether the object of our yearning is a person, an object, an event, a certain action, or an era, we always see it deep within our hearts. It's like looking through a semi-transparent curtain; the other side becomes indistinct, no longer tangible. Yet, we are always able to repeatedly draw and elaborate upon that curtain, generating nostalgic details. It is yearning that makes it blurred, but simultaneously vivid.

This subtle state of mind will be experienced more profoundly when stepping into the Taipei Biennial 2025, Whispers on the Horizon. Light curtains replace the exhibition walls, and the creations of 72 artists are interwoven. Perhaps because of the enveloping drapes, we—coming from different backgrounds—share a fleeting moment. Standing before the same artwork, our individual yearnings will intertwine into a chorus of whispers. Or perhaps, looking back at the work through the curtain, the previous interpretation suddenly takes on a new meaning. In between the curtains, "yearning" propels us to erase rigid boundaries, expand the notion of "identity," and perceive shared sentiments.

In the discussion class, Wu Ming-yi's The Stolen Bicycle will become a multifaceted stage for the children: shopping malls, bicycles, war, butterflies, a zoo... Through stories and games, they will revisit growth experiences and witness how these places, objects, and people become a massive curtain in their mutual remembrance, upon which we project our yearning, overlapping it with reality. Life is thus imbued with both shadow and light.

As the final unit of the 2025 Young Art annual theme, "Art and Identity," the unit "Curtains of Yearning" (慕 | 幕) will be a gentle shaking of the soul and a thoroughly embodied experience. And "total immersion" is precisely where "yearning" repeatedly leads us back to the source of our identity—to walk in the present and move towards the future!

Exhibition Class：2025/12/21、2026/01/04

Discussion Class：2025/12/28、2026/01/11

Exhibition｜Taipei Biennial 2025 :Whispers on the Horizon @ Taipei Fine Arts Museum

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HSU YA-LI

Instructor, Planner, and Main Visual Artist

HSU YA-LI is a children's literature and art educator and creator. In her teaching, she excels at using interactive games to explore ideas and spark creativity. She also uses lively storytelling and discussions to guide children toward a concrete understanding and reflection on various topics. Her published works include the prose/illustrated books Something's Weird with This World, and the children's books Journey to the Monster Kingdom: Unleash Your Desire for Words and Awaken Your Creativity, Troubles in the Monster Kingdom, Reading Classics, Playing Games: Cultivating Literary Skills, and The Chef and His Apprentices. She is also one of the individuals in charge of "Pin Wen Yi: Literature and Art in Games."