Aruwai Kaumakan

Visual Arts

Aruwai Kaumakan, Paiwan people of Paridrayan community in Pingtung county, relocated to Rinari community after Typhoon Morakot. In the beginning, she focused mostly on indigenous craft designs, but after the typhoon, she shifted towards installation art. Since a young age, Aruwai Kaumakan has been weaving and making accessories with her mother, later, she began including her own creativity and combined metal work with weaving and beading, making her a true Pulima (a person with fine craftsmanship). As the Paiwan princess of the Paridrayan community, she is charged with the duty of heritage. She said, “if you want to represent the modernity amidst traditional culture, you must recover the root of the culture, that is how you fill creations with life.” Her creative themes often center traditional rituals, ethnic awareness and self-exploration, reflecting stories that flip culture and life from a female perspective, with feministic features radiating from her works.

Award
Grand Prize  4^th Pulima Art Award, 2018
Honorable Mention  2^nd Pulima Art Award, 2014