Yonghe Arts Factory (YHAF) was founded by the Yonghe Arts and Education Foundation, located in Xizhi She Hou industrial zone. The key industry of She Hou is electronic components and hardware processing. It is an industrial city in Taiwan that exports machine tools. Fusing the local industrial environment and the art resources of the foundation, YHAF develops a series of art events full of distinctive "factorial" scenes.
The mission of Yonghe Arts and Education Foundation is to cultivate the arts, promote educational activities, and initiate the "Art residency in She Hou." Bringing art exhibitions and cultural creativity to the industrial area as a bridge, YHAF eagerly links up local factories and delivers industrial characteristics through an artistic language. It believes that She Hou will become a museum without walls that possess various possibilities.
Art Residency Project
She Hou industrial area had experienced the period of Taiwan's economic peak. A historic building, designed by the architect Hsu, Yu Shou, with the full characteristics of that time, is well reserved. In year 2013, while Yonghe Arts and Education Foundation started to reside in the place, it turned it into " Yonghe Arts Factory." Since then, the building has become studios and creative spaces. It has been provided a new function and identity in the new era.
In year 2015, the YHAF invited a well-known Japanese street artist, Aurta Soup, and his team to execute a reform plan for the industrial area. Aruta Soup drawn a giant "Paint Bunny" on the outer wall of the arts factory. It lighted up the place with a fresh and lovely creation style which left a great impression among people.
The art residency project usually hosts one person (or one group) at a time. The artist(s) can use individual studio (about 26.5~ 33㎡) living facilities, exhibition area, classrooms, etc. Depending on different cooperation methods with the artists, the YHAF will offer artwork materials fees and exhibition subsidies. Both visual and performing artists are eligible to apply for the project. The artist(s) may stay one month to one year. Moreover, they will have showcases or organize educational programs to the public before the end of the residency.
In the studios of the YHAF, Mia Liu, Yu-an Liao, Jean Yang, Yi-Li Yeh, Hui-Chan Kuo, and Jun-Qiang Niu are the residents here in the long term. It also welcomes artists from around the world to have a short-term residency. The residency project encourages artistic communication and boosts the art energy mutually.
The artists open the studio periodically. People will have the chance to observe artists' journey from the origin of art inspiration to the completion of the artwork. YHAF provides a space for artists to create artworks. Meantime, it works with the artists to hold cultural studies, exhibitions, workshops, artists' resources exchanges, and interaction with the communities. It has become a new village for contemporary art.