Paint House Studio Archive

Originally a family-run paint shop, Paint House Studio was first used as a multifunctional space combining a children's art school and an artist studio, before transforming into an experimental art space in 2000 co-founded by graduate students from Tainan National University of the Arts. Guided by the principle of “rooted in the site,” the space deliberately preserved its original architectural character, challenging conventional white cube aesthetics and establishing the building’s historical context as a foundation for artistic dialogue through highly site-specific works. Over nearly two decades, Paint House Studio evolved through five distinct phases: the Gallery Period, characterised by intensive exhibitions and performances; the Forum and Studio Period, centred on long-term creative development; the Soy House Artist Club Period, integrating artist residencies with exhibitions; and finally the Exchange Hub Period, focused primarily on artist residency exchanges. This archive comprehensively documents the space’s nineteen-year trajectory through exhibition photography, opening event records, artistic progress documentation, artist profiles, invitation cards, press clippings, and other invaluable materials that not only chronicle how Paint House Studio redefined Taiwan’s understanding of alternative spaces through its innovative approach to art and spatial practice since the late 1980s, but also capture the artistic discourse of a new generation of academic communities from 2000 onwards, and their pivotal role in shaping Taiwan’s contemporary art ecology.

Historical Notes

Originally a family owned paint company in Tainan, Paint House Studio was converted into Small Hands Atelier (小手美術教室) in 1997 by Wang Wan-Ting (王婉婷), daughter of the paint shop’s proprietor. As Small Hands Atelier, the space functioned as both a children’s art teaching facility and a shared studio workspace for Wang and her husband, Lin Huang-Ti (林煌迪), who were both graduate students at the Graduate Institute of Plastic Arts at Tainan National University of the Arts (TNUA). In 1999, Wang and Lin invited their fellow students to exhibit at the studio. This cohort included Liang Ren-Hung (梁任宏), one of the founders of Kaohsiung’s Avant-Garde Art Promotion Centre (前衛藝術推展中心) in the 1980s, alongside Hsiao Sheng-Chien (蕭聖健), Tseng Wei-Hao (曾偉豪), Huang Yi-Min (黃逸民), Nie Fan-Hsun (聶汎勳), Cheng Hung-Nan (鄭宏南), and Hsu Shu-Cheng (許書誠). Their collaborative exhibition in 2000 became the inaugural Paint House Exhibition, launching what would become a nineteen-year artistic journey.

The studio’s first exhibition embodied its founding ethos, “rooted in the site (從場所出發).” Paint House Studio deliberately preserved the original paint shop’s distinctive characteristics and architectural elements, utilising extensive site-specific works to transform the building’s historical context into an active foundation for artistic dialogue. Over the subsequent four years, the studio maintained an ambitious exhibition schedule, presenting monthly solo and group shows. Participating artists were primarily drawn from TNUA’s faculty and student body, as well as members of the broader art universities community.

As an independent “site” rather than merely an art “space,” Paint House Studio evolved through dialectical relationships deeply informed by academic discourse. In 2002, Yu Wei (游崴), a graduate student in TNUA’s Art History and Art Criticism programme who had been actively involved with the studio since its inception, formally joined its operations. Driven by the ambition to transform the venue from an “art exchange base” into an “art production base,” Lin and Yu launched Family Project—a series of initiatives that invited artists to treat the studio as their creative “home.” This project commenced with Yang Tsun-Chih’s (楊尊智) year-long spatial intervention, during which he demolished portions of the building’s existing structure while adding sculptural elements, treating the entire reconstruction process as performance art. Through the participation of artists from different fields, Paint House Studio gradually developed into an assemblage of artistic practices. The building deliberately preserved portions of all participating artists’ works, layering them into the architecture of Paint House Studio.

This dynamic state of architectural and artistic proliferation through regular exhibitions continued until late 2003. However, the accumulation of structural modifications began to compromise the building’s functionality, while the original cohort of collaborators had also since graduated and departed. Experiencing fatigue from the intensive exhibition schedule, Lin decided to redirect Paint House Studio’s focus. Beginning in 2004, he transformed it from a traditional gallery into a “forum and studio” centred on events and activities, and implemented short-term residency programmes that allowed for more flexible, sustained creative work, with exhibitions serving as platforms for resident artists. Following a year of restoration and reflection, Paint House Studio resumed active programming from 2005 to 2006, organising solo and group exhibitions while maintaining its residency initiatives. During this period, Lin undertook another major spatial intervention project titled, In the Interstices of Accommodating Art. This renovation involved dismantling and reconstructing numerous structures and objects from the Gallery Period, and transforming these materials into new artworks, which he presented in his solo exhibition, Recycling Art Resources. Simultaneously, Lin collaborated with resident artists, integrating their practices into the reconstruction process. This operational approach defined the studio’s character for the following six years—a space in constant flux, continuously rebuilt through exhibitions, art projects, and residencies, where each artistic endeavour contributed to Paint House Studio's evolving identity as an “art space.”

In 2005, Paint House Studio initiated a documentary project chronicling its own history. Upon the project’s completion in 2010, artist and curator Chen Kai-Huang (陳愷璜) collaborated with Paint House Studio to develop Micro-Image: Paint House Studio Film Company, inviting eight emerging artist collectives—Nation Oxygen (國家氧), Ji-Tian Commun (吉田工寮), PingPong Art Space (乒乓藝術工作站), Fuxinghen Studio (復興漢工作室), Open Contemporary Art Center (打開－當代藝術工作站), Not Just Me Studio (不只我工作室), The Service Center (服務處), and Doujika Prop Team (豆擠咖道具組)—to create video works as a retrospective tribute to the studio’s first decade. During this project, Paint House Studio secured an additional sponsored venue in Tainan, christening it Soy House Club in homage to the site’s history of soy sauce production. Most exhibition programming relocated to this new space. However, when the landlord unexpectedly sold the Soy House property in late 2012, Lin was faced with cancelling all exhibitions and relocating the equipment back to the original Paint House Studio, restricting operations to residency programmes alone. This setback prompted Lin to explore alternative approaches to maintaining the site’s accessibility. In 2013, he developed Round-Trip Project, facilitating exchanges between artists from different cities through studio residencies and presenting their work at various locations throughout Taiwan. This pivot repositioned the studio to be primarily a platform for artistic exchange in subsequent years.

In 2017, the impending opening of Tainan’s first municipal art museum generated controversy among local artists due to its ambiguous institutional positioning. Paint House Studio became the gathering point for these discussions. Disillusioned by the bureaucratic structures inherent in institutional frameworks, Lin announced his decision to close Paint House Studio during these meetings, declaring his rejection of potential institutionalisation before the space reached its twentieth anniversary. In November 2018, Paint House Studio presented its final series of performances, exhibitions, and talks, concluding a remarkable legacy encompassing 141 exhibitions, ten multi-year art projects, eighteen forums, and more than seventy residency programmes.

Scope and Content

The Paint House Studio Archive primarily comprises exhibition and activity records, including extensive documentation such as exhibition photography, opening event records, artistic progress materials, artist profiles, invitation cards, and press clippings, complemented by administrative documents and forms. To capture Paint House Studio’s distinctive character across its developmental stages, this archive is organised by key periods, illustrating each phase’s evolving role and the interconnected nature of artistic projects and activities. The period classifications are outlined below:

Pre–Art Space Period (Before 2000): Documents the appearance of the original paint shop and Small Hands Atelier prior to 2000.

Gallery Period (Apr 2000–Jan 2004): Operating as a traditional exhibition venue, the space primarily hosted solo and group artist exhibitions. The layout featured a main ground floor gallery and an independent Little Attic exhibition room, alongside curatorial projects initiated by Paint House Studio and ongoing spatial renovations that functioned as extended performance works.

Forum and Studio Period (Feb 2004–Dec 2009): Focusing on short-term artist residencies as its primary mission, with occasional solo and group exhibitions showcasing resident artists’ work. Curatorial projects gradually repositioned Paint House Studio as a collaborative experimental space. This period saw renewed spatial renovations and the development of cultural creative projects aimed at expanding artistic possibilities for participants while generating operational funding.

Soy House Artist Club Period (2010–2012): Using Soy House Artist Club as the main venue, the space maintained its artist residency, exhibition, and curatorial programmes while expanding partnerships with university courses and academic exchanges.

Exchange Hub Period (2013–2018): Following Soy House Artist Club’s closure, the focus shifted to artist exchange through the Round-trip Ticket Project, complemented by the intimate One Room Project, solidifying Paint House Studio’s role as Tainan's central hub for contemporary artist dialogue and collaboration.

Dates (Inclusive)

2000–2018

Languages

Traditional Chinese

Collection Access

Open for research. Onsite-only and restricted materials—including but not limited to correspondence, newspaper clippings, and unpublished writings—are available for consultation at AAA in Hong Kong, New Delhi, and New York. Please submit the Application for Access to Research Collections Form at least five working days in advance.

Collection Use

Subject to all copyright laws. Permission to publish materials must be obtained from copyright owners. Please contact research@aaa.org.hk for further enquiries.

Archival History and Project Team

All materials in this archive, both physical and digital, were provided by Lin Huang-Ti, one of the founding artists of Paint House Studio. Physical documents were collected by Asia Art Archive in July 2023 and February 2024, with digitisation completed in October 2024. The collection launched online in May 2025.

The archive was developed by Project Researcher Nicole Wang, Project Archivists Tammy Ho and Kyo Hsieh, and Project Archive Assistant Emily Du, with significant contributions from interns Chang Shuo-yin and Chien Jo-hsin.

Acknowledgements

The Paint House Studio Archive is part of the Independent Art Spaces of Taiwan project, supported by the Kwang Hwa Information and Culture Center. Special thanks are also extended to Ocular Studio for their generous support.