National Museum of Natural Science

"Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing; a confusion of the real with the ideal never goes unpunished." This quote of the famous German author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe goes to the heart of the commonly heard statement.

Love is pure emotion. On the other hand, marriage is more than love. It dictates a lasting commitment or contract between the two parties. The story of marriage began millions of years ago. From polygamy to same-sex marriage, the concept of a "love marriage" is relatively recent. How humans evolved from the animal mating system in the wild to the marriage system?

The National Museum of Natural Science will present a thought-provoking exhibition Together Forever: Journey into Contemporary Marriage in the 1st Exhibition Gallery at the Global Environment Hall. Divided into five units, this interdisciplinary exhibition illuminates the history and evolution of marriage, as well as its impact on human society. It reveals diverse wedding customs, featuring pioneering and contemporary artworks of Taiwanese young artists. Most important of all, it explores the challenges of contemporary marriage, such as inequality in marriage, cohabitation, divorce, same-sex marriage, and transnational marriage, etc.

The Museum Acting Director Wen-San Huang, an expert on reptiles and amphibians, indicated that monogamy is invented for order and investment, though it's 'not natural' for humans. "The idea of a lifelong bond between two people is accorded legal, spiritual, and cultural significance throughout much of the world," added Huang.

"Together Forever: Journey into Contemporary Marriage is my graduation exhibition," said Dr. De-Hsiang Lau, the exhibition curator, who will retire in the near future. "I would like to express my gratitude to all my exhibition partners. Without their support, I would not be able to present this exhibition, allowing visitors to explore the complex issue of marriage."

Together Forever: Journey into Contemporary Marriage is an exhibition for all people, male or female, married or unmarried, old or young, and will remind them of their loves, wedding days, and families.

Together Forever: Journey into Contemporary Marriage opened on May 5, 2021, and will run until February 13, 2022.

The National Museum of Natural Science is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to your coming back and experiencing the exhibition in person when we reopen. Please visit our website for updates on the evolving situation and keep in touch by following us on social media.