No city is complete without a distinct creative energy, driven forward by the underground painters, musicians and writers who capture the essence of their city through their creative medium.
A peaceful walk down the river will lead you to Riverside Gallery, a bright and modern little space where the walls are lined with beautiful watercolours and detailed sketches. These pieces were created by Alex and his partner.
Alex has lived a life as colourful as his paintings, spending time as an artist and a teacher in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Keelung. Tapping into his artistic vision, he is able to see Keelung differently and uncover its hidden beauty like nobody else can.
Name: Alex
Job: Artist and Owner of Riverside Gallery
"I see it as a kind of life exploration, rather than trying to find some deeper meaning of survival there."
What makes Keelung unique?
Keelung has rich cultural depth, many old houses, and lots of historical buildings. It is unique because you can pursue your artistic projects here, as I have done.
After moving from Taipei to teach here, I worked for ten years before retiring. My work allowed me to pursue my personal interests—like watercolor painting. Later, after discussing with my wife, we realised [this gallery] is very convenient, close to the main road, so we decided to turn it into a public space.
We invited many of our artist friends to create and exhibit here. This year marks several years of doing this. The reason we wanted to establish this space is that Keelung doesn’t really have a small, dedicated art space. We hope more people can come and enjoy it.
We also hope that visiting tourists can experience this small art space and appreciate the amazing works on display.
What is something people might not know about Keelung?
Keelung has an interesting hidden spot: the Tianliao River. Along this river, there’s the Twelve Zodiac Bridge—each bridge is named after one of the Chinese zodiac animals, like the rat, the tiger, and so on.
Originally, there weren’t twelve bridges—maybe only ten—but later they were named and arranged so people could easily remember them. Each bridge also has a stone statue at its entrance representing the zodiac animal, which is really fun to see. This is a hidden spot that many people don’t know about.
The Twelve Zodiac Bridge area connects to Keelung Harbor, near the Ocean Plaza by the sea. There, you can see many eagles. They’re feeding on fish and scraps that come from the fish market nearby. It’s quite a sight and very unique to this area.
What place in Keelung holds special memories for you?
Keelung has many places full of memories. Recently, many old historical sites have been renovated, and we can visit them to learn about what people used to do. Some of these sites are really interesting—some are from the Japanese colonial period, and some from the Qing dynasty.
People may not know that Keelung has several forts. I may have only visited a few of them, but many are located at important spots near the harbor, serving as key military or port facilities. These forts carry a lot of history.
Sometimes, walking around these places or exploring mountain villages is really fun. I see it as a kind of life exploration, rather than trying to find some deeper meaning of survival there. I really appreciate these experiences.
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