2025 Second Half Special Exhibition | South Seas Stories: The Experiences and Artistic Representations of Taiwanese "Comfort Women" in South Seas During WWII
Exhibition Dates: July 4 – December 25, 2025
During World War II, Taiwan, as a Japanese colony, was incorporated into the strategic framework of the " Southern Expansion Policy." Against the backdrop of war, many young Taiwanese girls and women were deceived or even forced to go to the South Seas (Southeast Asia), where they endured unspeakable life journeys, leaving behind profound and harrowing "South Seas Stories."
Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, this exhibition reinterprets these historical memories through the lens of "artistic representation." Here, "representation" refers to the process of re-presenting certain experiences, emotions, and historical events in literature or art through text, images, or other media. Through these representations, we hope viewers can transcend time and space to empathize with the women's pain and resilience, thereby inspiring reflection on historical memory and drawing greater attention to women's human rights.
The exhibition opens with the South Seas experiences of three "Comfort Women" Amas (survivors), guiding the audience to understand the stories that took place on the actual historical stage. Following this, the exhibition is divided into three thematic sections based on artistic mediums: "Representation in Drama," "Representation in Literature," and "Representations in Painting." These sections guide viewers to ponder the distance and tension between various forms of representation and historical reality.
Representation in Drama
This section features the stage play Burning Butterflies, performed by The Party Theatre Group in 2022. Initially starting from the experiences of Taiwanese soldiers in the Japanese Imperial Army, the play later shifted its focus to the issue of "comfort women," combining live actors and puppetry to create a highly poetic and emotionally charged stage aesthetic. This exhibition specially highlights two crucial excerpts related to the South Seas experiences, inviting you to step into historical memory as expressed through the language of theater.
Representation in Literature
Although literary writings specifically addressing Taiwanese "comfort women" in the South Seas are relatively scarce, we have selected three highly representative Taiwanese literary works: Chiang Wen Yu's “Papayas,” an excerpt from Chen Chien Wu's “Hunting Women,” and an excerpt from Li Yong Ping's “Homesickness.” Through delicate prose, these authors reconstruct historical memory and touch upon the truth of profound inner emotions. In addition to presenting selected passages, the exhibition also displays the original book editions, allowing viewers to draw closer to the writers' souls through reading.
Representations in Painting
This section showcases paintings hand-drawn by Ama Wan-Nu, a "comfort woman" survivor. She used her paintbrush to look back at the past, carrying her memories and emotions through visual imagery. These works are not merely historical testimonies but also a practice of self-narration and healing, inviting viewers to carefully experience the landscapes and states of mind depicted under her brush.
Your Re-creation
At the conclusion of the exhibition, an interactive area titled "Your Re-creation" is set up. We invite the audience to leave their responses through writing, drawing, or other methods. This allows the echoes of history to carry on, making everyone a vital member of this community of memory.