Taipei, April 30 (CNA) Taiwan will present four themed experiences at the upcoming 2024 Cultural Olympiad in Paris, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Culture (MOC) on Tuesday.

The Cultural Olympiad is an artistic celebration of the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, from July 26 to Aug. 11, and will take place from July 21 to Aug. 10 in Paris's Parc de la Villette.

In a Tuesday press release, the MOC confirmed that Taiwan has been invited by the venue's artistic director Frederic Mazelly to participate in the quadrennial sports celebrations' artistic companion event.

In September 2023 and January 2024, Culture Minister Shih Che (史哲) and Deputy Culture Minister Sue Wang (王時思) visited the site separately to scout and prepare for Taiwan's participation.

A location will be allocated for the "Taiwan Pavilion" at the venue for the Cultural Olympiad, the MOC said, where the nation will join more than 10 other countries in showcasing their culture and art.

According to Shih, Taiwan's 2024 participation in the Cultural Olympiad will see the island take part in the event for the first time under the "Taiwan Pavilion" banner.

The Taiwan Pavilion will showcase four themed experiences designed to shine a light on the nation's freedom and multiculturism.

The MOC on Tuesday revealed that the four themes are "Voice of Freedom," "Island Elegance," "Cultural Exchanges Between" as well as "Taiwan and France."

A contemporary Formosan experience

As a part of the Voice of Freedom experience, acts such as DJ Elvis Lin (林貓王), Hybrid Asian and the Van Band will present Taiwan's current musical creativity to listeners.

The Island Elegance experience will see the likes of singer songwriter Aljenljeng Tjaluvie (阿爆) and Tai Body Theatre actors put on performances that focus on Indigenous Taiwanese elements, while theater troupes like Ming Hwa Yuan Arts and Culture Group, Our Theatre and Rom Shing Hakka Opera Troupe will present a modern take on Taiwan's traditional Chinese opera theaters in Hakka and Hoklo.

Members of the Taipei Puppet Theater will put on shows as part of Cultural Exchanges Between, while musical acts such as Sam-Seng-Hian-Ge (三牲獻藝), Go Go Machine Orchestra and A Root will present a musical feast as a part of the experience.

Visitors to the Taiwan and France experience will get the chance to see in person Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), Taiwan's first drag queen crowned the "Next Drag Superstar" on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul's Drag Race this season.

Nymphia Wind will lead the likes of Eye Catching Circus and Les Petites Choses Production in presenting contemporary performance art from Taiwan at the Cultural Olympiad.

In addition to the performers who will take turns on stage over the course of the 16-day celebration, MOC added that the Taiwan Pavilion will also project the images and videos from a catalogue of around 300 Taiwanese artists who have their works archived with the Taiwan Cultural Memory Bank, to promote Taiwan's values of freedom and equality to difference races, ethnicities and gender identities.

Taiwan's Minister of Culture noted that prior to the Cultural Olympiad, artists from the country have held a number of performances in Paris to herald the upcoming celebration.

Taiwan Philharmonic (National Symphony Orchestra) performed on April 13 at the French capital's Théâtre des Champs-Elysées as a part of its From Formosa tour in Europe.

Taiwan's renowned Ju Percussion Group will also perform in Paris in June.

A message of tolerance

According to the MOC, the key visuals of the Taiwan Pavilion were created by renowned designer Yen Po-chun (顏伯駿), whose résumé includes designing the visuals for a number of Taiwan's award ceremonies.

In Yen's design, the alphabet "W" in the English spelling of Taiwan is depicted in four different ways to showcase Taiwan's inclusiveness.

In the first, the "W" is designed in the shape of the Olympic rings to represent the quadrennial sports celebration, while in the other three the "W" is represented by two LGBTQ flags, two overlapping hearts and two "victory hands" emojis.

All of the graphics aim to depict Taiwan's identity tolerance and the country's desire to work hand-in-hand with the other nations of the world, the designer said.

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