Kong-Ke Museum
In early 2019, as the CMP Block Museum of Arts entered a transitional phase in preparation for its next chapter, we launched an innovative project that merged curatorial interpretation with aesthetic design—the Kong-Ke Museum, officially opened to the public on November 15, 2019.
A creative reinterpretation of Taiwan’s construction culture, the Kong-Ke Museum is a new type of venue that combines the spirit of a construction site with the shared values of a museum. It’s both a work site and an art museum. The name “Kong-Ke” carries layered meanings: “Kong” (工) refers to construction, “Ke” (家) to a sense of belonging, and in Taiwanese Hokkien, “Kong-Ke” (ㄍㄨㄥ ㄍㄟ) evokes the idea of sharing.
Functioning as a real construction office, the Kong-Ke Museum not only improved the site environment but also celebrated and conveyed Taiwan’s construction culture. It was a boundary-breaking museum that opened its gates to the public and community, creating new possibilities for dialogue between art and construction.
The project concluded in 2021, marking the end of this unique pre-construction phase before the full development of the new museum.
2019/11/15 – 2020/03/01
This exhibition brought together photographer Ed Jhong, graphic designer Godkidlla, and fashion designer Li Yu Sheng to explore the raw, grounded spirit of deities born from Taiwan’s land. Through photography and installation art, the team reimagined the divine in a form deeply rooted in local geography and construction-site culture.
Drawing from the island’s historical and cultural context, the curatorial team connected Taiwan’s evolving settlements—from isolated landmasses shaped by reclamation and community building—to the enclosed yet vibrant world of construction sites. Here, craftsmen become pioneers, carving out islands within the urban landscape, layer by layer, building skeletal frameworks of future civilizations.
Each day at 12:00 PM, artist Yen Shih Chieh, a Golden Indie Music Awards nominee for Best Electronic Single and Album, presented “Lunch Break Soundscapes”, a site-specific sound piece composed using construction tools and the ambient sound of workers’ radios—blending music with the rhythm of the workday.
The exhibition also collaborated with local Taichung food collective Hao Shi Man Man to reimagine construction-site dining. Originally established to provide better meals for workers, their “Bee Truck” and on-site staff cafeteria concept was transformed into a culinary extension of the exhibition. Chef Jian Yi Song curated hearty and healthy lunchboxes, while Siao Jie Lun designed creative beverages inspired by the flavors and aesthetics of the worksite. Beyond lunch hours, these offerings were made available to the public, evolving into inventive small bites and specialty drinks unique to the Kong-Ke Museum experience.
Curators｜Godkidlla, Yang Ya Siang
Artists｜Godkidlla, Li Yu Sheng , Ed Jhong
Produced by｜Group.G
2020/03/31 – 2020/06/28
This exhibition reimagines the daily lives of truck drivers through a childlike lens. While actual interviews revealed that many drivers live with surprising discipline—some maintaining spotless cabins, avoiding smoking and betel nuts, and even requiring shoes to be removed before entering, as though stepping into a bedroom—the artworks take a more playful approach.
Through installation works, the exhibition blends reality and imagination, constructing scenarios with the logic of children’s toys. Here, the truck cabin becomes a home, the betel nut stand transforms into a roadside convenience hub. With humor and lightness, the exhibition opens up an imaginative space for audiences to reflect on these overlooked yet essential lives.
Curated by｜DHH Studio (東海醫院設計工作室)
Organized by｜ HU Design (青沐設計)
2020/07/15 – 2020/10/25
Taking the ubiquitous sight of construction sites in the city as its starting point, this exhibition presents artist Angus Chiang’s perspective on the overlooked “working people” and the transient culture of construction sites hidden behind rapid urban development. Angus imagines these sites as temporary moving castles, contrasting the worlds “inside” and “outside” their fences.
Outside, one finds a cacophony of colorful banners and advertising signs, crowded with protests, sales pitches, and demands. Inside, however, lies the weary and often invisible daily life of laborers—filled with hardship, resignation, and resilience, yet rarely acknowledged or understood.
The exhibition design takes blue, the common color of construction fences, as its base tone, and incorporates beanbag-like installations of protest banners, interactive placards, and graffiti-inspired slogans. Together, they form an urban landscape at once humorous and confrontational. More than an artistic response to reality, the exhibition is a call for empathy—urging audiences to recognize the social landscape and silenced voices behind construction sites, and to respect every worker who contributes quietly to the life of the city.
Curated by｜ANGUS CHIANG
2020/12/02 – 2021/05/23
After-Work Collective was a landmark exhibition in Kong-Ke Museum’s 2.0 initiative, bringing together three of Taiwan’s most influential creative brands—hip-hop music label KAO!INC, hot pot brand Chan Chi Hot Pots Lab (浪漫屋 by 詹記), and Draft Land, one of Asia’s Top 50 Bars. Using music, cuisine, and cocktails as mediums, the exhibition reimagined the everyday landscapes of construction workers’ lives after the workday ends.
On the second floor, KAO!INC Construction: Rooftop Extension Center, curated by KAO!INC founder Dela Chang, drew from the common phenomenon of rooftop extensions in Taiwanese cities, intertwined with memories of his father’s construction company. This became a metaphor for the brand’s constant building and expansion. On the first floor, Chan Chi Hot Pots Lab created a retro-style, limited hot pot shop inspired by the vanished video rental stores, evoking the lifestyle of “eating on the go.” Meanwhile, Draft Land designed six construction-themed cocktails inspired by the rhythms of a laborer’s day, offering a tipsy journey from day into night.
The exhibition also featured a vintage lightbox installation co-created by designer Hong Zhang-Lian and his father, master sign maker Hong Zhi-Ming. Linking the spatial concepts of all three brands, the work evoked collective memories of the city and its construction culture.
Blending design, culture, and street aesthetics, this exhibition was a playful proposal for after-work life—inviting audiences to join in and say: “The moment work ends, let’s go wander.”
Curated by｜KAO!INC
Culinary Projects by｜Chan Chi Hot Pots Lab (浪漫屋 by 詹記), Draft Land
INFO
Associates
Advising Organization
Cultural Affairs Bureau Taichung City Government
Organizer
CMP PUJEN Foundation for Arts and Culture、CMP Block Museum of Arts
Co-organizer
CMP Group、Pujen Land Development
Architectural Concept Design
WHOLE+DESIGN
Design & Engineering Integration
YULE SPACE
Construction Design
DOT AND ASSOCIATES CO., LTD
Furniture & Interior Design
PiliWu-Design
Visual Identity Design
googoods design
Culinary Design
好食慢慢、揪你餐車
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