A Taiwanese artist has donated his latest work to Karlsruhe to mark the German city’s 300th anniversary.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Taiwanese sculptor Kang Mu-xiang said he is happy to play a part in cultural diplomacy. The sculpture took Kang about a year to complete. It was made from discarded steel cables from Taipei 101’s elevators. The Taipei 101 skyscraper is the tallest building in Taiwan.
Kang started to work on the sculpture after Vice Foreign Minister Vanessa Shih invited him to create something that could serve as a gift from Taiwan to mark the German city’s anniversary.
In addition to offering birthday wishes to Karlsruhe, Kang said he wanted to use the project to highlight the concept of the power of unity. This is symbolized by the cables closely bound together in his artwork.
Germany’s de facto ambassador to Taiwan, Martin Eberts, expressed his gratitude for the donation and lauded the close ties between Taiwan and Germany.