Hot People – The Culture and Contemporary Art of Heat / Summer

The exhibition runs from May 15 to August 30, 2026, in Galleries A, B, and C of the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. This marks the first time the museum has collaborated with international institutions, bringing together curatorial teams from Taiwan, the Philippines, and Panama. It features 33 artists from 16 countries with 50 works spanning video, painting, sculpture, archives, and sound installations, focusing on how tropical climates affect human life and bodily sensations. The exhibition will tour three countries—Taiwan, the Philippines, and Panama—starting in Taichung. It is combined with an international residency program, where foreign artists create works on-site, highlighting the connections between Taichung and other tropical nations. The public is invited to explore the diverse aspects of tropical countries and heat culture from an artistic perspective.

The exhibition is co-curated by independent curator Takamori Nobuo (高森信男), Tessa Maria Guazon, Director of the Vargas Museum at the University of the Philippines (泰莎．瑪莉亞．奎松), Juan Canela, Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art of Panama (胡安．卡內拉), and Jennifer Choy (蔡淑清). Starting from their respective regional tropical experiences, the curatorial team transformed tropical experiences from various countries into curatorial practice through research and long-term discussion.