Idas Losin's father is Tayal from Wulai, and her mother is Truku. Idas moved to Taipei after graduating from Junior High School. Initially, she decided to stop her education. But the pastor of her church encouraged her, and she then went to Fu-Hsin Trade & Art School and Taipei National University of the Arts. She became devoted to arts after she getting a college degree. 

After college, Idas went to in Australia for a short time. for her, the days in Australia is important that inspired her subsequent plans for arts. In 2013 she started an island-hopping project inspired by her experiences during her art residency in New Zealand. She found an identity in Gaga (traditional doctrine from ancestors) through conversations with others and encouragement. So, she wanted to go to the farthest island to slowly find her identity.

Sayun Simung, an Tayal artist, is from Sqoyaw community. She graduated from the Department of Radio and Television at National Taiwan University of Arts. Sayun went to Taipei and worked as a journalist and documentary planner in Taiwan Indigenous TV in 2005 and later in Era News and Public Television. During her journalism career, she came across a documentary, "Smangus," where she saw a big millet field, which she thought to herself, "why isn’t there a millet field like that in my community?"

Therefore, Sayun returned to her hometown in 2012. The local elderly told her that they have given up growing millets for cash crops such as pears, apples, and peaches. Traditional millet farms disappeared due to the low economic benefits. Sayun began to think about issues of culture after the modern economy being introduced to indigenous communities. 

Although Sayun’s hometown is almost over 3,000 meters above sea level, she still does not have enough knowledge of local history and culture. 

After living in her hometown for ten years, she understood better about local people’s connection with their land, and no word can describe such importance of land to them. She also started to reflect, "what are the reasons that make the land so profound to the Tayal people?"

Therefore, she decided to make a three-dimensional map of her community as a cultural practice to find an answer. Every visit and time spent with the local elders made her understand that no matter where originally the Tayal people come from, they all aim to survive and produce offspring, and such Gaga (traditional doctrine from ancestors) still exists in our daily life.

Kulele Ruladen, a Paiwan artist, was born in Timur Community, Sandimen Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. His father, Qumas Zingerur, is a Paiwan glass beads master. After graduating from the National Academy of Arts ( now National Taiwan University of Arts), Kulele returned to Timur, established Birdman Sky Studio, and worked as a full-time artist. His artworks are diverse, including paintings, inlaid bead paintings, metal sculptures, multi-media, installation, kinetic art, cultural and creative products, etc.

His creative momentum comes from the loss of his culture, his returning home, and conflicts between traditional and modern society.

His artworks translate traditional symbols into new meanings with a focus on modernity. Ruladen is not limited by his background and has profound observations and quests regarding conflicts and ethnic relations in contemporary society. He is flexible while assertive in using various media, and his artworks have gorgeous layers.

Masiswagger Zingrur, a Paiwan artist, was born in Timur Community, Sandimen Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan. His younger brother Kulele is an artist, and his father, Qumas Zingerur, is a master of Paiwan glaze beads. Masiswagger studied arts from high school up to graduate school. He is dedicated to preserving traditional arts. In the past two decades, he has focused on researching and producing traditional Paiwan pots. His artworks are mainly ceramic, sculpture, painting, and installation. Masiswagger believes that traditional arts have precious cultural value. However, he expressed concerns that, in his opinion, the modern art system has incorporated traditional art into the artistic dimension, which has caused traditional art to be inferior to contemporary art. He criticized that if there is no deep immersion in traditional cultural aesthetics and preservation, how can one add cultural significance to modern art, even creativity and innovation? In his creation, Masiswagger expresses his observation of the conflict between the traditional and modern art in the form of installations with the use of ready-made objects. His artworks convey a strong cultural identity and conceptual reflection. He uses proficient techniques in Paintings to show high tension, which reflects the profound thinking about civilization.

Arucanglj Rusagelet is a Paiwan artist from Qapedang community, Taiwu Township, Pingtung County. Arucanglj suffered from polio from a young age. However, his physically challenged life has made his artwork special, talented in using words from local culture to express his deep-down feelings, which stands out among indigenous artists. A lot of his friends call him Alai. Arucanglj loves to make jokes. Despite the inconvenience caused by polio, his positivity about his life shows in his talks. He says his limbs resemble a hundred-pacer snake; therefore, he named his studio the Sky of Hundred-pacers.

He often spends time in the studio, painting quietly for half day. Although his hands are not as strong, his perseverance has overcome his physical limits. His paintings, inspired by his ancestral spirits, convey Paiwan culture. Arucanglj's artworks are not only visually exquisite but rich in storytelling that leads people to explore their inner selves.

In the contemporary indigenous performing arts community, Adaw Palaf Langasan's experience is unique, from the collectivism of his culture to his philosophical individuality, from being a member of the Formosan Aboriginal Singing and Dance Troupe to a participant in international art festivals. Adaw has been to a variety of performing venues. To a certain extent, his career reflects the development of Taiwan's indigenous performing arts. Adaw established the "Langasan Theatre" in the Tafalong community and created dance collectively and co-living with the local people. 

He rearranged all the dance works presented by the participants from the Start Fire, Ritual Ground, Atavan - Indigenous Performing Arts Workshop. He made them into a dance called "Misa-Lisin," for which Adaw was invited to participate in the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and 2015 Festival d'Avignon.

Adaw has repeatedly used mud and mirrors in his performance in recent years. These objects have become his signatures.  He puts mud on the performers, mirror, stage, sprinkles water, and places small stones on stage. Those objects naturally transform the actions on the stage into unbalanced sliding and wiping, conveying people's ever-existing desire to be close to the earth. The mirror held in the arms or above the head is like eyes and light that have just been enlightened in chaos. The moment dialectically reflects the dimensions of the virtual image. However, Adaw doesn't answer in his dance as to which side is the dreamy illusion.

Written by Huang Yingying

Dondon Houmwm, an artist belonging to the Turuku people from Hualien, was born in Hualien County and raised in the Donmong community. When he was a teenager, he left his hometown to work in Taipei. While living in Taipei, Dong Dong received training from a theater. Gradually, he starts to create artworks in the forms of performing and performance art. In 2009, he returned to his hometown as an artist and creator and continued to create arts in his land. Besides, he established the Erlu Creative Art Workshop dedicated to youth empowerment, local affairs, and cultural development.

Dondon started from indigenous contemporary art in

the 2010s when he gained popularity with his unique outfit and performing style. His flamboyance contrasted the indigenous art’s focus that natural resources being the dominant creative material. After that, he combined video, installation, performing art, visual art as the main creative form. There is a sense of past and modernity in Dondon’s work. In his artwork “Prayer”(2013) and “Smapux”(2016), as the heir of the traditional ritual of his hometown, Dondon depicted the ambivalent mindset among the people between the traditional religion the new one introduced to his community. “Face of Road”(2012）, and 3M-MAKEUP, as a sexual minority, Dondon responds humorously and sharply to the existing gender identity structure in traditional society.  These works are with personal experiences and consciousness. Dondon, through his art, directly explored issues that may not be appropriate to discuss in the community openly.

Written by Lu, Wei-Lu

Chang, En-Man, born and grew up in Taitung and is currently based in Taipei for work.  Before entering the National Taiwan University of Arts, she worked as a waitress, a designer in an advertisement company, and an art editor for a publishing house. Until she got into the university, she realized the unlimited creativity within multimedia material meanwhile the importance of perspectives an artwork can provide. Therefore, during her sophomore year, she decided to shift her focus from painting to multimedia creation. When she saw news of the widespread destruction by Typhoon Morakot in 2009, she thought of her mother, whose hometown is Daniaw village and was born in Dawu, and Chang's yearning to return home has since hatched.

Chang has been caring for indigenous peoples' adaptation and coordination of culture and survival with the outside world in the time of irreversible modernization, which is her staple for her creativity. She hopes to generate power from such an issue through art.

Written by Cai, Xin-Ye

Shen, Wan-Shun's father, Shen, Chiu-Ta, is a well-respected wood sculptor who inherited and carried his family's renowned carving skills that passed down for generations.  Many chiefs and dignitaries widely collect his artworks as their house decoration, and collectors praise his creations for being one of the most traditional Paiwan wood carvings.

Under the influence of the environment and a strong sense of mission of continuing the family wood carving skills, Shen, Wan-Shun started to learn sculpturing from 13. In the face of indigenous cultural loss due to the impact of modernization, he held on to his faith. He was determined to be an outstanding indigenous sculptor to fulfill his father's dying wish, from which he inspires the young generation to value traditional culture, and it's been seen as a way to save the culture.

Cemelesai Takivalit, born in Tavalan Community (Tashe Village ), Sandimen Township, Pingtung County, loves to create art.Having been following the local elders to hunt in the mountains from a young age, he has insightful observation into the color dynamic of the primitive forest. In his early career, he studied art from Sakuliu, who had boarded his horizon.  Cemelesai's carving artworks with various indigenous totems are famous in the market. He likes to innovate and prefers to do low-key and sophisticated wood carving. Now, he is the only indigenous artist who integrates his delicate carving skills into a popular, retro, and mysterious carving style.