2026 Mattauw Earth Triennial
Swing Meandering
The Inner Foothills of the Zengwen River
Art sways with the Zengwen River; all beings journey through the foothill villages
1 River × 2 Reservoirs × 3 Years of Fieldwork × 4 Villages × 5 Senses
The 2026 Mattauw Earth Triennial proposes a dual vision of the 'Entire Watershed' and the 'Foothill Belt'. It examines the interconnectedness of the entire basin and the systems of sacrifice within it, while focusing on the foothill living area situated between two reservoirs. Under the living…
Swing Meandering──The Inner Foothills of the Zengwen River
The 2026 Mattauw Earth Triennial proposes a dual vision of the 'Entire Watershed' and the 'Foothill Belt'. It examines the interconnectedness of the entire basin and the systems of sacrifice within it, while focusing on the foothill living area situated between two reservoirs.
Under the living conditions of the Anthropocene and extreme climate, it attempts to transform artistic actions into a practice of re-interrogating the 'Social-Natural Contract'. Over a three-year period, this exhibition has gradually accumulated field experience and relationship networks, culminating in three main axes─which also serve as the methodology proposed for this edition of the Triennial: reading the more-than-human experiential messages in the field through embodied practice, creating a platform for public dialogue via experimental education and immersive experiences, and deeply listening at various settlement sites to the manifold meanings embedded in the name of the Zeng-wen River. Ultimately, the Earth Triennial becomes an intermediary network woven from multiple relationships, using the foothill belt of the Zeng-wen River as a coordinate to trace a possible form of contemporary life relations.
3 axes · 8 curators · 14 sub-projects · 37 artists/collectives · 41 artworks — connecting international perspectives, deepening dialogue with Tainan’s land
Visitor Info
全展區幅員遼闊，出發前請先確認各展區開放時間與交通方式。
Opening Hours開放時間
全展區週三至週日 09:00–17:00
以下展區開放時間不同：
- 左鎮展區｜土農工商行、霓土 Space
- 週五至週日 10:00–17:00
- 楠西・密枝展區｜果農之家
- 週一至週三、週五至週日 09:00–17:00（週四不開放）
- 七股・頂山國小（台灣黑面琵鷺保育學會）
- 週三至週日 10:00–16:30
Venues & Addresses展區地址
- 主展區總爺藝文中心臺南市麻豆區南勢里總爺5號導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 焦點展區曾文水庫臺南市楠西區密枝里70號導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 聚落展區官田・拔林拔林工作站（臺南市官田區拔子林29號）導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 聚落展區六甲・匏仔寮六甲匏仔寮池王府（Google 地圖搜尋「匏仔寮池王府」）導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 聚落展區左鎮
- 霓土 Space（臺南市左鎮區左鎮101-6號）導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 土農工商行（臺南市左鎮區內庄54-1號）— Google 地圖搜尋左鎮睦光里「吃飯」，從斜對面巷子沿旗幟前行導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 公舘社區發展協會（臺南市左鎮區岡林里31號）導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 左鎮老街導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 左鎮區圖書館（臺南市左鎮區中正里176-19號）導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 聚落展區楠西・密枝＆照興
建議車行至玉井派出所，再以 Google 地圖搜尋楠西展場目的地，可避開狹小產業道路。
- 照興社區活動中心（臺南市楠西區照興里興南14-2號）導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 果農之家（臺南市楠西區密枝里6號）導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
- 衛星展場七股・頂山國小臺南市七股區頂山里頂山153-2號導航（開啟 Google 地圖，另開新視窗）
Public Transport大眾運輸
各展區搭乘方式如下，點選展開。公車班次有限，出發前請再確認時刻表。
主展區總爺藝文中心
火車隆田火車站 公車橘10
於隆田火車站前搭乘「橘10」公車，至「總爺糖廠」站下車，即為總爺藝文中心，車程約 20 分鐘。
焦點展區曾文水庫 ×聚落展區楠西・照興社區
火車臺南火車站前站、善化火車站 公車綠幹線、綠24
於臺南火車站前站搭乘「綠幹線」公車，或於善化火車站搭乘「橘幹線」皆可抵達「玉井轉運站」，於玉井轉運站轉乘「綠24」，至「照興里」站下車，步行約 15 分鐘可抵達楠西照興展場。不下車續乘綠24可抵曾文水庫「曾文管理局」站（藝術作品《農佣》、《波光粼粼》），部分班次可續行至曾文水庫「觀景樓」站（藝術作品《魚筌》）。
搭公車含轉乘候車抵達照興約需 2 小時，抵達曾文水庫約需 2 小時 20 分鐘。
請注意綠24於玉井轉運站發車僅 9:00、10:50、11:50、12:15、15:00 等班次。
聚落展區楠西・密枝社區
火車臺南火車站前站、善化火車站 公車綠幹線、綠23、綠25
於臺南火車站前站搭乘「綠幹線」公車，或於善化火車站搭乘「橘幹線」皆可抵達「玉井轉運站」，於玉井轉運站轉乘「綠23」或「綠25」，至「密枝南」站下車，即抵達密枝社區展場「果農之家」。
請注意綠23於玉井轉運站發車僅 9:50、11:30 班次；綠25於玉井轉運站發車僅 8:10、12:50、15:50 班次。搭公車含轉乘候車抵達密枝約需 2 小時。
聚落展區官田・拔林
火車拔林火車站
搭乘火車於拔林火車站下車，即可輕鬆步行 2 分鐘前往拔林聚落展場「拔林工作站」。
聚落展區六甲・匏仔寮
火車林鳳營火車站 公車黃2
於林鳳營火車站前搭乘「黃2」公車，至「匏仔寮」站下車，即為匏仔寮聚落展區，車程約 45 分鐘。
請注意黃2行駛至匏仔寮站之班次，僅 7:35 及 11:15 兩班次。
聚落展區左鎮
火車臺南火車站前站 公車綠幹線、綠12、綠13
於臺南火車站前站搭乘「綠幹線」公車，至「左鎮分駐所」站下車（車程約 1 小時），步行 2 分鐘即可抵左鎮展區展場之「霓土 Space × 土偶工作室」。
從霓土 Space 步行約 10 分鐘可抵展場「左鎮老街」，從老街口步行 2 分鐘可抵展場「左鎮區圖書館」。本區觀展結束後，步行數分鐘至綠幹線「左鎮果菜市場」站，可轉乘「綠12」至「睦光」站下車前往展場「土農工商行」，轉乘「綠13」至「岡林」站下車可抵展場「公舘社區」。
衛星展場七股・頂山國小（台灣黑面琵鷺保育學會）
火車臺南火車站前站、新營火車站 公車藍幹線、藍11、藍13
於臺南火車站前站搭乘「藍幹線」公車，或於新營火車站搭乘「橘幹線」抵達「佳里轉運站」，於佳里轉運站轉乘「藍11」或「藍13」公車，至「頂山子」站下車，步行約 3 分鐘可抵達展場。搭公車含轉乘候車約需 90 分鐘至 2 小時。
Shuttle Bus流域巴士｜週末展區專車
專為 Mattauw 大地藝術季量身打造的流域巴士，週六、週日雙路線，一次攻略藝術季七大場域。火車站接駁、低碳輕鬆行，乘車途中收聽藝術季 Podcast 介紹展覽與地景特色。
每週六路線載客 40 人
- 9:00善化火車站
- 9:15–9:45拔林展區
- 9:55–11:00總爺藝文中心
- 11:30–12:30七股展場
- 13:30–14:15楠西展區（照興）
- 14:30–16:30曾文水庫
- 17:30善化火車站
每週日路線載客 19 人
- 9:00善化火車站
- 9:15–11:00總爺藝文中心
- 11:10–12:40拔林展區
- 13:10–14:10匏仔寮展區
- 14:50–17:00左鎮展區
- 17:30善化火車站
票價
溫馨提醒
- 搭乘週末展區專車請預約，每班車名額有限，請提早報名。
- 本專車無提供午餐及飲水，部分展區有販售飲食，建議自備餐食及飲水。
- 行車路線包含山路，請自行評估準備暈車藥、防蚊液等。
- 藝術季展區及作品豐富，雙路線專車雖巡迴全展區，但仍有未盡之處，敬請諒解。
- 本專車不提供中途搭乘，若因故不搭完全程，恕無法酌退費用。
- 搭乘本專車需全程配合各站時刻表上下車，路途中因行車路程快慢需變動時程時，請配合隨車人員指示，共同維護行車安全及全體乘客權利。
Watershed Radio流域電臺
全展區幅員遼闊，移動時建議收聽「流域電臺」。山路轉轉時，請記得打開流域電臺，讓流域之聲陪你一起在曲流裡搖擺，前往下一個讓人期待的聚落與展區。
流域電臺以即興的策展人對談方式，深度開箱曾文溪流域裡的藝術計劃、策展視野、引路夥伴、聚落現場與各項活動。
News
因應近期臺南連日雨勢，曾文水庫展區作品進度調整
受近日雨勢影響，曾文水庫展區《農佣》、《魚筌》、《曾文溪的一千種交會》等作品，將於 9 月 25 日中秋連假前陸續完成，與大家相會。
歡迎中秋連假來到曾文水庫，在山水之間欣賞 #Mattauw大地藝術季 精彩作品，也一起參與藝術行動！
📍 活動預告
- 09.19｜藝術家巴蘇雅・亞古曼〈魚筌〉｜民眾參與工作坊｜曾文水庫
- 09.25–26｜藝術家涂維政〈波光粼粼〉｜民眾參與工作坊｜曾文水庫
- 09.25｜《曾文溪之戀》放映｜照興社區活動中心前廣場
因天候造成不便，敬請見諒。
靜候九月底，我們曾文水庫見！
Three Axes
Entering the field through embodied practice and continually capturing multi-sensory signals, we bring smell, taste, hearing and touch together with alternative ways of seeing to create many sensory interfaces for reading the Zengwen River.
Sub-projects Scent Project / Watershed Hub / Field Co-creation / Downstream Society
Taking rights-of-nature advocacy and the watershed’s system of sacrifice as points of entry, experimental education and immersive site experiences open a platform for public dialogue on contemporary watershed relations.
Sub-projects Watershed High School Camp / Little Things Press / Court of Nature / Rights of Nature Advocacy / Public Art / Watershed Film Festival
Guided by local pathfinders, three years of building collaboration and dialogue take us deep into four villages of the Zengwen River foothills, re-tracing how local life is networked around water.
Sub-projects Pû-á-liâu / Balin / Zuozhen / Nanxi
Venues
Located in Madou, Tainan, the Tsung-Yeh Arts and Cultural Center was originally the Tsung-Yeh Factory established in 1912 by the Meiji Sugar Company, a key site of the local sugar industry and a shared memory of Madou residents. After WWII the factory was run…
Exhibition spots Lawn, Red Building, Deputy Director’s Residence, Sugar Learning Yard, Dingshan Elementary School (extension)
Zengwen Reservoir sits on the upper Zengwen River. Built between 1967 and 1973 as a major national project, it irrigates the Chianan Plain, generates hydropower, supplies drinking water and controls floods. Once filled, the mountain valleys became a vast…
Exhibition spots Junction in front of the Zengwen office area, Zengwen office area, Zengwen Eye Visitor Center, lawn by the boat pier, Ecological Education Hall (3F observation deck)
Balin, in Guantian District, takes its name from the wild guava (pua̍t-á) groves that once grew here. Historically a Lai-clan settlement, it retains deep local beliefs and community memory. Since 2022 the curatorial team has been based in Balin, transforming…
Exhibition spots Balin Workstation, Plant a Bookstore, Chuanwenshan, That Field, the corner store
Pû-á-liâu, in Daqiu Village of Liujia District, is a traditional settlement in the foothills of the middle Zengwen River, between Zengwen and Wushantou reservoirs. Generations have lived by mountain and water, sustaining local culture through farming and…
Exhibition spots Orange work shed, No. 23 Pû-á-liâu, Uncle Ba’s roasting hut, Pû-á-liâu Chi Wang Temple, village spaces
Zuozhen was once called “Pua̍h-bé” — a place so steep even horses stumbled. It is known for Siraya indigenous culture, badland terrain and rich prehistoric fossils. Its unusual geology forms half-mountains, deep valleys, meanders and cliffs; with almost no…
Exhibition spots Zuozhen District Library, Nitu Space, Tunong Gongshang Shop, Gongguan Community Development Association, Zuozhen Old Street
Zhaoxing and Mizhi lie on the north-eastern side of Nanxi District, in the foothills of the Zengwen River basin, rich in natural environment and rural culture. Zhaoxing centres on the old Zhengxing street; residents once crossed the river by bamboo raft…
Exhibition spots Zhaoxing Community Activity Center, Guonong Home (Fruit Farmers’ House)
Dingshan Elementary School in Qigu District sits downstream at the mouth of the Zengwen River, where river, sea and settlement meet. Once a sandbar of the Taijiang inner sea, the village lived by fishing and aquaculture; under Japanese rule large fish ponds…
Exhibition spots Classrooms, Assembly stage
List of venues
- Main Venue│Tsung-Yeh Arts and Cultural Center Directions (opens Google Maps in a new window)
- Focus Venue│Zengwen Reservoir Directions (opens Google Maps in a new window)
- Village Venue│Guantian · Balin Directions (opens Google Maps in a new window)
- Village Venue│Liujia · Pû-á-liâu Directions (opens Google Maps in a new window)
- Village Venue│Zuozhen Directions (opens Google Maps in a new window)
- Village Venue│Nanxi · Zhaoxing & Mizhi Directions (opens Google Maps in a new window)
- Satellite Venue│Qigu · Dingshan Elementary School Directions (opens Google Maps in a new window)
Tsung-Yeh Arts and Cultural Center
Located in Madou, Tainan, the Tsung-Yeh Arts and Cultural Center was originally the Tsung-Yeh Factory established in 1912 by the Meiji Sugar Company, a key site of the local sugar industry and a shared memory of Madou residents. After WWII the factory was run by the government, reorganized several times and finally closed in 1993. When demolition began in 1998, local historians and residents campaigned to save it, and in 1999 the red-brick office, factory director's residence, guesthouse, brick staff canteen, Japanese garden, century-old camphor trees, steam locomotive and sugar-mill grindstones were preserved. Today the former factory is an arts park that carries on sugar-industry culture and local memory while serving as an important venue for exhibitions and cultural exchange.
Exhibition spots Lawn, Red Building, Deputy Director’s Residence, Sugar Learning Yard, Dingshan Elementary School (extension)
Zengwen Reservoir
Zengwen Reservoir sits on the upper Zengwen River. Built between 1967 and 1973 as a major national project, it irrigates the Chianan Plain, generates hydropower, supplies drinking water and controls floods. Once filled, the mountain valleys became a vast lake, opened to tourism in 1974. Certified as an environmental-education site in 2012, it promotes water conservation, ecology and climate-change education, helping visitors understand how typhoons and heavy rain affect the reservoir and why water is precious. Its rich flora, fauna, birdlife and forest scenery make it a key site for both environmental education and eco-tourism.
Exhibition spots Junction in front of the Zengwen office area, Zengwen office area, Zengwen Eye Visitor Center, lawn by the boat pier, Ecological Education Hall (3F observation deck)
Guantian · Balin
Balin, in Guantian District, takes its name from the wild guava (pua̍t-á) groves that once grew here. Historically a Lai-clan settlement, it retains deep local beliefs and community memory. Since 2022 the curatorial team has been based in Balin, transforming the Lai clan hall into a local workstation and opening art-and-community co-creation through artist residencies, spatial renovation and exchange with residents. Plant a Bookstore, built by teachers and students of Tainan National University of the Arts, continues the 2022 Triennial’s advocacy through books, reading and knowledge exchange. Close to Chuanwenshan forest farm and the Guantian Pheasant-tailed Jacana Eco-Park, Balin weaves railway, local history and ecology into a village of memory and creativity.
Exhibition spots Balin Workstation, Plant a Bookstore, Chuanwenshan, That Field, the corner store
Liujia · Pû-á-liâu
Pû-á-liâu, in Daqiu Village of Liujia District, is a traditional settlement in the foothills of the middle Zengwen River, between Zengwen and Wushantou reservoirs. Generations have lived by mountain and water, sustaining local culture through farming and forestry in close relation with the land. Faith binds the community: the Tainan-designated folk custom “Liujia Daqiu Three-Corner Buddha Procession” has continued for over 150 years in a six-year cycle of three years of processions and three years of opera. During the procession the three corners of the village walk through nine hamlets, every household taking part with drum troupes and homemade snacks shared openly with pilgrims, making faith a living practice that connects residents and carries local memory forward.
Exhibition spots Orange work shed, No. 23 Pû-á-liâu, Uncle Ba’s roasting hut, Pû-á-liâu Chi Wang Temple, village spaces
Zuozhen
Zuozhen was once called “Pua̍h-bé” — a place so steep even horses stumbled. It is known for Siraya indigenous culture, badland terrain and rich prehistoric fossils. Its unusual geology forms half-mountains, deep valleys, meanders and cliffs; with almost no flat land it has long been said that “there is no three li of level ground.” Large expanses of grey mudstone shape diverse landscapes: the Erliao lookout is famed for low-altitude seas of clouds and sunrise, while the Caoshan Moon World presents an otherworldly badland scenery.
Exhibition spots Zuozhen District Library, Nitu Space, Tunong Gongshang Shop, Gongguan Community Development Association, Zuozhen Old Street
Nanxi · Zhaoxing & Mizhi
Zhaoxing and Mizhi lie on the north-eastern side of Nanxi District, in the foothills of the Zengwen River basin, rich in natural environment and rural culture. Zhaoxing centres on the old Zhengxing street; residents once crossed the river by bamboo raft before the Yongxing suspension bridge linked the two banks. Its starfruit orchards were once a major industry, and a few remain alongside local specialities, temples and river scenery. Mizhi, originally “Miju” (hidden dwelling), long kept a secluded natural landscape due to poor access. Residents grow starfruit, mango and longan, and in recent years fruit-picking, jam-making, local cuisine and produce processing have driven rural tourism and regeneration, linking agriculture, ecology and community culture.
Exhibition spots Zhaoxing Community Activity Center, Guonong Home (Fruit Farmers’ House)
Qigu · Dingshan Elementary School
Dingshan Elementary School in Qigu District sits downstream at the mouth of the Zengwen River, where river, sea and settlement meet. Once a sandbar of the Taijiang inner sea, the village lived by fishing and aquaculture; under Japanese rule large fish ponds were turned into the first production zone of the Qigu salt fields, making Dingshan a settlement of salt-making, Wangye worship and fishing. The school served the children of this tidal estuary until industrial change, the end of salt production and out-migration closed it in 2008; today the campus hosts community activities and the Taiwan Black-faced Spoonbill Conservation Society. The surrounding salt flats and ponds offer habitat for black-faced spoonbills and little terns, an important area for birdwatching and conservation.
Exhibition spots Classrooms, Assembly stage