Bunker. Museum of contemporary art, Kinmen Island. A permanent sanctuary for art in a demilitarized zone. Catalogo della mostra (Taiwan, 2004-2005)

On September 11, 2004, 18 artists and artist groups gathered on the former military island of Kinmen, situated between Taiwan and China, to inaugurate the Bunker Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA). Kinmen has played a pivotal role in cross-strait relations since 1958, when it became the target of 500,000 artillery shells in 44 days. Its demilitarization in the early 1990s required the evacuation of 100,000 soldiers, leaving behind over 2000 bunkers. In turn, BMoCA transformed these abandoned bunkers into exhibition spaces for artists from various disciplines, ranging from visual artists to composers, architects to filmmakers, crossing the borders of historical and political territories. The curatorial team, led by internationally renowned artist Cai Guo-Qiang, built the exhibition upon a platform of four pillars: provocative artworks, cultural promotion, economic investment, and an atmosphere of hospitality towards outside visitors.
This catalogue documents the seminal exhibition of a revitalized Kinmen, the island that participating artist Tan Dun described as "an underground heaven for art."