The Cultural Curation of the 2026 Creative Expo Taiwan will run from August 1 to 31 at the Kong Zong Cultural Base Heritage Building, while the Creative Brands will take place from August 6 to 12 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1. Under the annual theme "Bit Zero," this year's expo focuses on humanity's rethinking of the essence of creativity amidst the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). At the pre-show press conference today (14th), key officials and representatives attended, including Minister of Culture Li Yuan, Deputy Minister of Culture Wang Shih-sze, Director of the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) Liang Chin-chih, President of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) Wang Min-hui, and Chairman of the Taiwan Character Brand Licensing Association (TCBLA) Cheng Wen-fu. The Creative Expo curation team introduced this year's central curatorial theme, while NTCRI, TAICCA, and TCBLA shared their respective curatorial philosophies and exhibition layouts.
The Ministry of Culture stated that since its inception in 2010, Creative Expo Taiwan has consistently deepened its curatorial content and expanded its exhibition scale. Having undergone several vital transformations, it has become Taiwan's premier platform for cultural and creative showcases, industry exchanges, and market matchmaking. The 2026 Creative Expo Taiwan Cultural Curation marks the first major exhibition hosted in the Kong Zong Cultural Base Heritage Building since the completion of its historic restoration. Spanning an entire month, the exhibition not only showcases the revitalization and adaptive reuse of the historic architecture but also leverages the national-level influence of Creative Expo Taiwan to propel C-LAB toward its development goal of becoming a "National Culture Base." Meanwhile, the Creative Brands returns to the highly accessible Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 1. This year, the exhibition floor space has increased by 18%, while the number of participating brands and booths has grown by 26.3% and 25.7% respectively. Total attendance is projected to break records, surpassing last year’s 650,000 visitors.
(From the left)Taiwan Character Brand Licensing Association (TCBLA) Cheng Wen-Fu, National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) Liang Chin-chih, Director of Creative Brands Delphine Peng, Deputy Minister of Culture Wang Shih-sze, Minister of Culture Li Yuan, President of the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) Wang Min-hui.
Echoing this year’s theme, Minister of Culture Li Yuan opened his remarks by introducing his AI friend, Black Adam. He shared that when he asked Black Adam today if its ability to quickly gather and organize answers for his every query counted as creativity, Black Adam responded, "Because I have no flesh and blood, feel no impulse, have no desire to actively create, and lack personal life or land experiences, I do not count as creative." In contrast, the AI noted that because Li is a human of flesh and blood with rich life experiences, "the very questions you ask are creative." At the conclusion of his remarks, Li also mentioned that when he opened up to Black Adam about his recent feelings, Black Adam comforted him by quoting the entrance installation theme of the cultural exhibition: "No Rush. You're Doing Really Well."
Li said that as someone who has spent his entire life in creative work, he holds a deep reverence for creativity. He remarked that over the 16 years since the inception of Creative Expo Taiwan in 2010, Taiwan has witnessed profound shifts in systems and social atmosphere, with the growth of cultural creativity and content reaching an absolute "explosion." Through long-term accumulation, Taiwanese culture has fostered a unique character—inclusive, diverse, creative, untamed, gentle, and sentimental—that is irreplaceable and serves as the crucial foundation for the rapid growth of Taiwan's creative industries. Recalling his journey as Minister of Culture, Li shared that during his first year of participation in Tainan, he was "astounded" by the massive crowds and diverse creative content. Last year, when the Creative Brands moved to Nangang, he constantly worried that "it would be too crowded for people to get in." This year, as the Cultural Curation opens at C-LAB—a venue about to be fully accessible to the public, gathering top-tier talent, creativity, and experimentation at the geometric intersection of Taipei's east-west and north-south cultural axes—Li expressed strong confidence: "This will be the defining moment for Taiwanese culture to grow rapidly and connect with the world."
Minister of Culture Li Yuan.jpeg
The curation team introduced that as human culture is absorbed into digital currents, and facing an era where AI can generate thousands of patterns and texts within microseconds, the annual theme "Bit Zero" explores the first "thought" flashing through the human brain, comparing it to an original spell that creates all things. Curated around the "Bit Zero" concept, the cultural exhibition spans five major areas presenting 73 cultural IPs that showcase Taiwan's original creative energy. The entrance installation "No Rush. You're Doing Really Well" transforms Taiwanese cultural IPs into a sensory map; "IN TRANSIT" embarks on a fantastical coastal journey; "The Orange Story in the Blue World" initiates a collective movement shifting from rational data back to sentimental existence; "Wake Up! Awaken Your Senses" explores historic landscapes and natural details overlooked by technology; and "Tomorrow Shop" gathers 235 cultural and creative lifestyle goods from across Taiwan's 22 counties and cities to serve as nourishing lifestyle supplements. Creative Director Agi Chen noted that holding this year's cultural exhibition in C-LAB's newly restored Heritage Building invites visitors to engage in a collective rewriting of Taiwanese cultural IPs within the historic building's unique aura.
Under the annual theme "Bit Zero," this year's expo focuses on humanity's rethinking of the essence of creativity amidst the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). At the pre-show press conference today (14th), key officials and representatives attended.
The "Flowing Forms: Living in Formation" exhibition space, curated by the NTCRI, centers on the idea that “life takes shape in flow" to create an experiential path for integrating craftsmanship into daily life. Featuring 150 Taiwanese craft brands and over 200 craft items, the exhibition utilizes modular living scenarios to show how craftsmanship shapes home atmospheres and personal taste. The space specifically introduces a "curated select shop" and "craft workshops" to guide visitors in experiencing the evolution of crafts from simple objects into complete lifestyle aesthetics, showcasing the diverse facets of Taiwanese craftsmanship integrating into contemporary life.
2026 CET "Flowing Forms: Living in Formation" highlight exhibits
The Creative Brands centers on the theme "Future Everyday." The physical exhibition space uses the "home" as its spatial starting point, extending into multi-functional areas for work, creation, rest, and connection, while featuring five trend-setting themes: "Ritual Living," "Soft Tech," "Slow Moments," "Home Reimagined," and "Throughtful Objects." During his preview of the featured products today, Minister Li personally tried out the "72 Life Tips from 12 Deities of Taiwan," which pair illustrations of deities with inspiring words. After drawing and reading aloud a quote from Wenchang Dijun (the Deity of Culture and Literature)—"Which direction your life takes depends on your decisions during major events. Reawakening the learning purpose of your soul brings spiritual self-awareness"—Li humorously remarked, "Thank you, Wenchang Dijun!"
2026 CET "Future Everyday" highlight exhibits
As a landmark pavilion of the Creative Brands, the "IP-Star Pop Park - Fantasy Star Theater" highlights Taiwan's interdisciplinary integration of original content. It features 21 original character IPs from the second IP-Star Program, 11 outstanding brands from the inaugural edition, alongside IP-Star animated anthology projects and free-roaming multi-user VR experiences. Across more than 36 booths and 45 participating companies, the space covers five themed IP zones ("Universe, Imagination, Gourmet, Entertainment, and Cultural Journey"), the Star Screening Theater, the Star Immersive Theater, and the IP-Star Store, comprehensively demonstrating the cross-disciplinary integration results of Taiwan's original content industry.
The "Manga In the House," curated by TAICCA, focuses on commercial licensing and monetization potential. Centering on the concept of "reincarnation"—a highly popular trope in ACG culture—the pavilion features 8 popular original Taiwanese comic IPs, utilizing video demos to illustrate rich, cross-industry adaptations and highlight the limitless potential of Taiwanese comic IPs to expand across different mediums.
2026 CET "In Transit" highlight exhibits
The Ministry of Culture pointed out that to manage the massive crowds that flock to the Brand Exhibition each year, Creative Expo Taiwan will implement a dual-track entry system featuring both "online reservation" and "on-site queuing" for a more comfortable and smooth viewing experience. The reservation system opens for account registration today (14th) at 10:00 AM, and reservation slots will officially open on July 21 at 10:00 AM. Available booking slots start daily from 11:00 AM, with approximately 3,000 slots per session. Each person is limited to one reservation slot per day and must enter during their booked time; same-day bookings or modifications are not permitted. Visitors without reservations must queue up on-site according to staff directions, and actual admission times will be adjusted based on real-time venue capacity. Visitors are encouraged to make reservations early at https://creativexpo-booking.tw/ to easily plan their schedules.
The Ministry of Culture stated that this year's expo partners with 43 collaborators across seven major industries in cross-sector collaborations to deliver a ubiquitous, 360-degree cultural experience. More event details, registration, partner collaborations, and special offers will be announced successively on the official website of "2026 Creative Expo Taiwan" (https://creativexpo.tw/) or its Facebook fanpage (https://www.facebook.com/creativexpo.tw/).
