PateRongan Art
Fibre artist Chen Shu-Yen and Kavalan artisan Tuwak Tuyaw established PateRongan Art as a collaborative space with the aim of revitalising ancestral craftsmanship and fostering contemporary practices in Taiwan’s native plant-based fibre arts. Chen has been working along Taiwan’s east coast, integrating fibre art into tribal culture. Her creations are rooted in raw materials and ancient techniques. Tuyaw, of both Amis and Kavalan heritage, is devoted to the bamboo and rattan traditions of Xinshe Village. Together, they turn inspiration from the Kavalan fishing and hunting culture – intertwined with rivers and oceans – into spatial objects and installation works.
PateRongan Art is committed to preserving traditional skills while fostering new forms of dialogue between natural materials and contemporary expression. They collaborate with local artisans and continuously explore ways to translate indigenous techniques – such as sanku (fish trap) weaving, botanical dyeing and paper making – into poetic, minimalist works of contemporary art, lighting designs and environmental installations.