New Taipei City Museum of Art: Reed Beds by the Dahan River and an 'Unfinished' Urban Aesthetic

30‑second overview: On April 25, 2025, the New Taipei City Museum of Art opened to the public in Yingge. Designed by architect Yao Ren‑xi, the ten‑year, NT$3 billion project draws inspiration from the reeds along the Dahan River, turning 3,200 silver aluminum tubes into a wind‑swaying artistic image. Yet, from the initial international design competition through repeated failed bids, budget additions, and the post‑opening “mosquito museum” controversy, the new museum not only serves as an art sanctuary but also mirrors Taiwan’s complex tensions in cultural development and public‑resource allocation.

The Silver Forest by the Dahan River: Birth of the Reed Imagery

In 2015, the international design competition for the New Taipei City Museum of Art announced its results, and Yao Ren‑xi │Dayuan Architecture Studio won with the concept of a “museum among reeds,” defeating numerous international teams¹. The design draws from the site’s natural landscape at the confluence of the Yingge Creek and the Dahan River, especially the reeds that sway in autumn and winter. Yao transformed this local image into a contemporary language, using 3,200 round sand‑blasted aluminum tubes of varying heights to create a silver “reed bed” that appears to grow naturally from the riverbank².

Yao has described his approach as planning the museum with the visual language of filmmaking³, attempting to make the building itself a narrative that guides visitors through space, light, and material changes. This is both a tribute to the natural environment and a deep response to Yingge’s local history and culture, cleverly integrating elements such as the stones of the dried Dahan River channel, the scale of the historic Sanxia Old Street, and the red‑brick architecture of Yingge⁴.

📝 Curator’s note: A good building does more than provide function; it should tell a story about the land and its people. The museum’s reed imagery embodies this narrative power.

A Decade of Determination: From Ten Failed Bids to NT$3 Billion

The road to constructing the New Taipei City Museum of Art was far from smooth. Since the design was finalized in 2015, the main construction experienced more than ten failed bids⁵, primarily due to the building’s unique design and complex construction difficulty. This caused severe schedule delays and continual budget increases. Then‑deputy mayor of New Taipei City Li Szu‑chuan disclosed that, when the project could not be awarded, the design team suggested an additional NT$400 million, which he approved while mayor Eric Chu was abroad, allowing the work to continue⁵.

In the end, the museum cost nearly NT$3 billion, took ten years of planning and construction, and officially opened on April 25, 2025⁶. This lengthy process tested the New Taipei City government’s resolve and reflected the challenges and trade‑offs Taiwan often faces in large‑scale public projects. Yao said, “Designing a cultural building from scratch gave architects the chance to redefine the land”⁷; this persistence may have been aimed at planting a brand‑new cultural landmark on Yingge’s soil.

A Museum for All: Breaking Down the Walls

The museum’s mission is to be a “museum for all,” encompassing an eight‑story above‑ground main building and three underground levels, as well as a children’s museum, outdoor art streets, a restaurant, and a bookstore⁸. Its design philosophy emphasizes breaking the traditional closed nature of museums, using open outdoor spaces and linking with the nearby San‑Ying Art Village and Yingge Ceramics Museum to create a broad art‑life arena. During the opening period, the museum hosted six consecutive weekend events, including architectural light sculptures, ambient lighting, performances, and themed markets, aiming to attract a wider public⁹.

This “de‑centralized” model of art promotion seeks to bring art closer to everyday life, moving it away from an inaccessible temple. Through outdoor installations and interactive experiences, the museum hopes to create an environment where adults and children can freely explore and engage with art, truly realizing its founding vision of “rooted locally, facing the world”⁴.

Mosquito Museum or Cultural Cradle? An Unfinished Challenge

However, less than a year after opening, the museum sparked online criticism as a “mosquito museum”¹⁰. Netizens pointed out that even on weekends the visitor flow remained sparse, and some criticized the exhibition content and circulation layout. This phenomenon is not unique to the new museum; many public art museums in Taiwan experience a drop in attendance after the initial opening surge, often due to insufficient surrounding infrastructure, weak local connections, or unclear operational positioning¹¹.

📝 Curator’s note: A museum’s value should not be measured solely by visitor numbers. More important is whether it can continuously stimulate local cultural vitality and, over time, accumulate its own distinctive narrative.

The museum’s “reed bed” imagery may also symbolize its still‑“unfinished” status within urban aesthetics. It stands as a major milestone in New Taipei City’s cultural development, while also bearing the challenge of sustainable operation, deepening local ties, and finding its own identity amid competing voices. Whether this silver forest along the Dahan River will truly become a cultural cradle for Taiwan’s art—or remain merely an architectural exclamation point—remains to be seen over time¹².

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