Dutch unveils Taiwanese style

To Dutch photographer Marc Gerritsen, though, the inner beauty of Taiwanese homes is far more important than previously thought, to the point, that it could eventually help Taiwan becoming the next creative hub in Asia.

In his new book “Taiwan Mod(ern) — A Journey Through Taiwanese Design,” the first ever internationally published book about Taiwanese interior design and architecture, he argues that Taiwanese design is booming and has now gained international recognition.

But what constitutes Taiwanese design? Is it justified to refer to Taiwanese design as an autonomous style or is it part of a 'Made in Taiwan' label? “Taiwanese design is a mix thing such as this country, which is a really mixed salad in a way,” Marc Gerritsen told The China Post on Nov. 18.

“If you look at this book and you don't know that it is about Taiwan, you will probably think that the design is neither Indonesian nor Thai nor Chinese nor Japanese. 'So, what is it?' It's really by deduction that you can see it's really Taiwanese,” he added.

Without a doubt, Taiwan was hammered into its current complicated shaped by diversity and contrast. After centuries of power struggles between indigenous tribes, Dutch and Portuguese colonial powers, Chinese dynasties and finally, the Japanese empire, the small island's future was changed drastically in 1945 when, almost overnight, the Chinese Nationalists government withdrew to Taiwan, triggering a mass exodus of Chinese from all over the country.

To this day, the Republic of China (which is still Taiwan's official name) remains the ultimate conglomeration of conglomerations; a small island nation pieced together from indigenous tribes, immigrants, refugees and foreign occupiers, that proudly declares its own identity, yet sometimes seems to be unsure of what exactly this “Taiwanese” identity is, he explained.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese design has managed to establish itself as a unique form of “regional modernism,” using traditional forms from Chinese and Japanese design and combining them with a cosmopolitan outlook and a new urban sensibility.

Nowadays, Gerritsen remarked the growing influence of American culture among local people as well as those who studied in the U.S. “At least 50% of contemporary designers have studied in America.”

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