Taiwan's first and foremost private patron of art and culture since 1971, the Hong Foundation fosters bold creation and cultural transmission through visionary support for today's most paradigm-shifting Taiwanese artists.
Founded in 1971, when Taiwan was still a cultural desert under martial law, the Hong Foundation's over five decades patronage on education, art and culture is an enduring family legacy that is synonymous with the social and cultural heritage of Taiwan. Forged in Taiwan's unique interplay of geopolitical complexity, entrepreneurial drive, and rich cultural diversity, the Hong Foundation had spearheaded major cultural watersheds of Taiwan, nurturing numerous artists— some of whom are now of internationally renown.
The Hong Foundation pioneered Taiwan's literary criticism with the Shu Ping Shu Mu Review of Books and Bibliography (書評書目) publication 50 years ago and gave form to Taiwanese folk music with ground breaking vinyl records production in the 70s; popularized humanities studies for business leaders in the heady economy of the 80s with the Culture For Business Academy (文經學苑); and significantly formalized adult education with expansive humanities studies for well over 30 years with the Minlong Lectures (敏隆講堂) since the 90s.
Since the launch of our contemporary art program in 2014, artists supported by the Hong Foundation are now making a notable impact on the global stage with leading art institutions such as the Rijksakademie (Amsterdam), Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW, Berlin), Institut d’art contemporain (IAC, Villeurbanne), Mori Art Museum (Tokyo), and others.
Through annual commissions and sponsorships programs of Question Project, Extension Project, Canopy Project, and the Tung Chung Prize; and landmark exhibitions like TRANSISTORS co-organized with MoCA Taipei, the Foundation continues to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem of artistic innovation, cultural transmission, and the ongoing shaping of Taiwan's creative and cultural identity.
Art Program
Starting in 2014, under the leadership of Executive Director of Hong Foundation, Grace CHEUNG, a series of art projects have been initiated, activating diverse sponsorship projects to support artists at various stages of their creative journeys, supporting artistic creators across all disciplines through commissions and direct sponsorships.
[The Tung Chung Prize] is a 1 million NTD annual award to support an exceptional artist's creative output for one year. The prize was established in 2015 by Hong Foundation's Honorary Chairman Celia HONG CHIEN Ching-Hui in honor of her father, CHIEN Tung-Chung, who enriched her life through literature, art, and film. The Tung Chung Prize was awarded to outstanding writers of Mandarin literature from 2015 to 2018, and to artists whose international perspective resonates throughout and beyond greater Mandarin cultures from 2019 to 2023. Led by Grace CHEUNG, The Tung Chung Prize embodies the spirit of “cultural venture capital”, by supporting creators and artists at the early concept stage of creative work.
[The HONG × Rijksakademie International Residency Project] is a collaborative initiative between the Hong Foundation and the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten in the Netherlands since 2023. It marks the first time a Taiwanese non-profit organization has partnered with the Rijksakademie on such a residency program. Through this partnership, artists who are Taiwanese nationals, based in Taiwan, or whose practice is strongly connected to Taiwan and are selected by the Rijksakademie may be eligible to receive a fellowship from the Hong Foundation. With the joint support of both institutions, the program aims to help artists develop their practice by engaging with international resources and expertise.
[The Question Project] poses one Question each year to explore ideas on society, culture and existence; by commissioning an artist to explore the question with a new work. [The Extension Project] supports artists of unparalleled vision and global reach by adopting a particular series or aspect of their artistic process.
[The Canopy Project] is an annual open call for a solo exhibition or performance by young artists and creators of any genre and in any format, with the aim to foster experiment and play from diverse fields.
Learning Program
Minlong Talks upholding its mandate of charity and openness, promote education of the arts and to actively explore new possibilities for learning.
[Young Art: Understanding the World through Art] The Project plans art education workshops with the annual theme,recruiting children to respond to contemporary issues through story guidance, creative interaction, and actually go to the exhibition site to create an open art experience.
[Young Writers] To encourage and promote contemporary literary creation, we invite new-generation literary creators to talk about their own creative experiences and explore their creative methods through in-depth dialogues and question-and-answer interactions.
[Taiwan Folk Song Seed Transmission Project] Launched by the Hong Foundation and the "Taiwan Yueqin Folk Song Association" founded by music composer Chen Mingzhang. The "Xuyang Folk Percussion Troupe" has been invited to serve as the transmission masters.Under the oral and heart-to-heart guidance of national treasure masters, they will pass on the rich cultural heritage of traditional "narrative art" and "car drumming opera" to the next generation, adding new vitality to Taiwan's rich and diverse cultural traditions.
