SHEN CHAO-LIANG (Taïwan, born in 1968)
Drifting
“Around 2015, with the successive publication of several photo collections on folk entertainment culture, including Stage, Singers and Stages, and Taiwanese Vaudeville Troupes, I began to contemplate future creative directions on a foundation of continued writing of Taiwan’s internal state. Among these were, to directly or indirectly invoke events or spiritually symbolic metaphors relevant to cultural or geographical vistas in the trajectory of historical development. And then, on the one hand, present the multiple appearances of the fate of the territory, reflect the relationship between history and the land, and depict the complex emotions of various ethnic groups facing the times; on the other hand, attempting to take further strides to connect Taiwan as a key presence of the First Island Chain in the geographical sense, and its possible connection and influence with neighboring countries and regions under the context of globalisation, regionalism, and geopolitics.”
“Based on this concept, I collected a sampling of realist and narrative images from all across Taiwan for the series of Drifting (2015-2022), which combs through potential issues of colonialism, national identity, ethnicity, cold war, human rights, indigenous populations, ecology, environment, and energy. From among my personal creative projects, this has been a departure from previous practices in terms of subject matter and geographic span.”
Shen Chao-Liang was born in Tainan, Taiwan, in 1968. He obtained his master’s degree from the Graduate School of the Applied Media Arts, National Taiwan University of Arts. He worked as a Deputy Chief photographer for the Liberty Times, Taiwan, artist in residence at National Central University and currently is the adjunct associate professor at the National Taiwan University of Arts, and a member of the Board of Director of the National Culture and Arts Foundation, Taiwan. Aside from photographic creation, he also works on photography commentary, research, curation, and convener of the Photo ONE, Taipei. His major works include Reflections of Nan-Fang-Ao (2001) to the latter series of YULAN Magnolia Flower (2008), Tsukiji Fish Market (2010), STAGE (2011), SINGERS & STAGES (2013) and Taiwanese Vaudeville Troupes (2016). Shen won the Golden Tripod Award for Best Photography (magazine category) of R.O.C.(Taiwan) in 2000, 2002 and 2012, the Asia Award in Sagamihara, Japan (2004), the Dong-gang Photography Award, Korea (2006), the Artists Wanted: Photography Category Award, NY, USA (2011), the IPA (International Photography Awards) 1st Place in Professional: Book of Documentary, LA, USA (2012), and the 2015 Wu San-Lien Award Taiwan, among others.
