〈Between the Flowing Rivers: Souls, Memory, and Arrival〉Talk

This dialogue invites Mr. Naoki Sakai, committee member of Hongmaogang Bao’an Hall and executive committee member of the Bashi Channel War Dead Memorial Ceremony, to join the discussion on how souls, ancestors, and memory are perceived and carried through time. Drawing from his many years of experience assisting cross-border connections with the families of Japanese war dead, the talk approaches history through the lens of faith in practice and action, reflecting on how the past continues to generate relationships in the present.

What you will hear in the talk—
💫 How a soul is perceived and welcomed, and how it leaves traces of memory within a place and its people.
💫 Experiences of cross-border engagement with families of Japanese war dead, starting from concrete actions, and how memory is transmitted and carried on.
💫 How faith, as a practice of relationship, allows souls of the past to continue forming new connections in the present.

〈The Return Passage〉Artist-in-Residence Exhibition Tour

Exhibition Information

How can we imagine the arrival of a soul?

Hongmaogang Bao’an Hall is a major temple that Taiwanese and Japanese cultures. One of its principal deities, Marshal Haifu, originates from Takada Matao, a Japanese naval officer who perished during World War II and drifted to Taiwan. His identity was confirmed in 2018, and at the same time, the spirits of 145 fellow crew members from the same ship were called back and enshrined here, with the hope of eventually returning home.

The artist-in-residence exhibition 〈The Return Passage〉 takes Bao’an Hall as its point of departure, weaving together the memories of local devotees and Japanese bereaved families. Through documents, poetry, and moving images, the exhibition traces a journey of souls crossing time and space—being welcomed and remembered—while also portraying Kaohsiung Harbor as a site where history, emotion, and grassroots Taiwan–Japan exchange continue to flow.

Speakers

Artist Chen Yi-Hsuan

Chen weaves personal experience with the collective unconscious to construct fictional and real memories, composing slowly flowing, feminine allegories. Moving between illusion and form, her works capture emotions in reality that are forgotten or difficult to articulate. Her practice spans video, photography, experimental film, on-location VR imaging, kinetic installations, and video installations.

Mr. Naoki Sakai

Mr. Sakai has long been dedicated to supporting memorial activities for Taiwanese and Japanese casualties of World War II, and to facilitating cross-border connections with Japanese bereaved families. In recent years, he has continued to promote excavation efforts for the remains of Japanese war dead in the Bashi Channel. He is one of the few Shinto practitioners in Taiwan.

• Executive Committee Member, Bashi Channel War Dead Memorial Ceremony

• Committee Member, Hongmaogang Bao’an Hall, Kaohsiung

〈〈〈 Event Information & Registration 〉〉〉

▍Speakers｜Artist Chen Yi-Hsuan; Mr. Naoki Sakai 
▍Date｜Saturday, January 10, 2026
▍Time｜15:30–17:00
  1-hour dialogue / 10-minute Q&A / 30-minute exhibition tour
▍Venue｜Pier-2 Art Center, Warehouse C9-9
▍Registration Link｜ttps://www.accupass.com/event/2601030911353039877900