"Painting Kaohsiung Film: The Harbor City's Signboard Masters" (畫雄影：港都扛棒仔) Special Exhibition

In an era before digital entertainment was widespread, movies were the most important form of entertainment for the public. Theaters were everywhere, a hundred flowers blooming, with a constant stream of audiences. To attract the crowds, distributors and theaters specially hired professional painters to create various posters and hand-painted signboards. These works featured bright colors and exaggerated compositions, often sparking infinite imagination about the movie's plot before the audience even stepped into the theater.

At that time, street advertising signboards were not just promotional tools but also part of the urban landscape. Which movie was most popular? Which star was making their latest appearance? People exchanged news and discussed topics through the signboards; the outer walls of the theaters became a "cultural bulletin board" of daily life. Hand-painted signboards made the dark theaters like kaleidoscopes, reflecting one brilliant and eye-catching story after another onto the streets.

Compared to today's uniform printed posters posted inside cinemas, the hand-painted signboards of the past had a more distinct personality. Every painter had a unique brushstroke and style: some were good at exaggerating facial expressions, some focused on fight scenes, and some painted Western superstars as if they were right before the audience's eyes. These works were not just copies of movie stills, but creations of pop art. This combination of skill and inspiration has kept hand-painted signboards shining brightly in the memories of many senior movie fans to this day.

This exhibition centers on "hand-painted movie signboard painters," aiming to reignite the public's passion for theater and film culture, and allowing viewers to experience diverse ways of interacting with images. The exhibition is divided into several sub-themes, including "Theaters and Signboards," "Introduction to Kaohsiung Signboard Painters," "Painters' Working Environment," and "Movie Signboard Anecdotes," inviting audiences into the Film Archive to experience the atmosphere of old-time cinema from different angles. Whether it's the 3D signboards on display, precious celebrity photos, or interviews with painters and demonstrations of techniques, we hope everyone can enter the world of signboard art.