October 30, 2025, London — under a soft drizzle.
Taiwan’s TKG+ Gallery launched A Blast of Lyricism: Contemporary Taiwanese Art in London at Frieze No. 9 Cork Street, one of the city’s premier platforms for contemporary art. Running through November 15, the two-week exhibition brings together nine Taiwanese artists, transforming the space into a cross-sensory encounter of art, culture, and taste.
Unlike the typical champagne-filled vernissage, the opening featured a tea-tasting event by Deerland Tea, where aroma, flavor, and texture intertwined to create what the curators called “an exhibition one can savor.”
The three-day tea gathering echoed the exhibition’s theme of “poetic sensuality.”
Recognized by Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council as one of the Global Young Entrepreneurs Stars (全球青商潛力之星), Deerland Tea has cultivated collaborations across Europe’s art scene, partnering with Taiwanese dance companies, Hakka opera troupes, musicians, and curators. Team member Angie Chen explained:
“We hope to use Taiwanese tea as a medium that allows audiences to experience art not only through sight, but also through taste and scent. In Taiwan’s cultural context, tea is often the starting point of art appreciation. We want Londoners to feel that subtle, fluid, and gentle creativity that flows through daily life in Taiwan.”
The tea event was a collective effort, featuring six Taiwanese brands that contributed teas, pastries, and teaware.
From the misty hills of Jioufen, Jioufen Teahouse (九份茶坊) presented handcrafted ceramic vessels inspired by Taiwan’s traditional aroma cups (聞香杯) — tubular forms designed to hold “Nong Gin — Paochung Tea,” a tea-infused gin co-created with Fortune Tea Garden (福茶苑) and Nong Distillery. The organic glazes reflected the liquor’s floral fragrance and depth, balancing ritual with modern ease.
MANO MANO created four limited-edition macarons inspired by the exhibition’s color palette and Taiwan’s terroir — blending high mountain oolong, Dong Ding oolong, sweet osmanthus, and Taiwanese cacao — paired perfectly with Chuang’s Ruby Black Tea (莊記茶業), whose warm, rounded notes evoked the island’s sunlight and landscapes in every sip. Meanwhile, COFE’s Ruby Black Tea White Chocolate and FUWAN Chocolate’s 62% Dark Chocolate infused with Tie Guan Yin oolong offered a delicate, layered richness — blurring the line between drinking tea and tasting it.
Displayed among the artworks, the teas and confections transformed the gallery into a living tableau — where ceramics, paintings, and light interacted in harmony, and the air shimmered with faint aromas of roasted tea and cocoa. Guests lingered between conversations about Taiwan’s terroir and artistic inspiration, as if traveling through layers of Taiwanese culture with each cup.
This event continued Deerland Tea’s mission to turn Taiwanese tea into a medium of cultural storytelling.
From the fragrance of the brew to the design of the vessels, from the texture of the desserts to the choreography of light and space, the experience unfolded like a “three-dimensional poem of the island,” making art appreciation something to be tasted as well as seen.
At the opening ceremony, Ambassador Vincent Chin-Hsiang Yao and TKG+ founder Tina Keng both delivered remarks.
Ambassador Yao noted that the presence and influence of Taiwanese art institutions in the UK continue to grow, reflecting the depth and vitality of Taiwan’s cultural identity.
Keng expressed gratitude for the Ministry of Culture’s long-standing support, emphasizing that the exhibition and tea event together form a “cultural dialogue” — inviting the world to experience Taiwan’s unique aesthetic through the senses, intellect, and spirit.
