National Center of Photography and Images explores Taiwan’s photography history
The National Center of Photography and Images is holding an exhibit exploring Taiwan’s photography history and culture from the 1940s to the present day. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us in for a look!
One of the featured works on display is by photographer Chang Tsang-sang. He documented the aftermath of the Jiji Earthquake, which struck Taiwan on Sept. 21, 1999, and became one of the deadliest in Taiwan’s history. Chang visited 50 affected families, capturing their portraits and recording the reconstruction process in the disaster zones. Five years later, he returned to revisit these families, documenting the transformations that had taken place since the tragedy. The exhibition presents these portraits side by side, offering a powerful comparison of life before and after the disaster.
Chang Tsang-sang
Photographer
Right after the incident, many victims lived in tents. In fact, at that time, quite a number of displaced families were staying in military barracks, container houses, or even their own vehicles. During the first stage, in the months following the disaster, I documented around 50 families. As the fifth anniversary approached, I returned to the families I had previously visited, comparing two sets of photographs. In the second stage, I interviewed 37 families. Looking back at the first stage, the affected area was vast, and on site, you could see the current situation of the survivors and what their concerns were during those months. I quickly took the photos and written descriptions and gave them to newspapers, hoping to convey their circumstances. For example, they worried about what would happen when the rainy season arrived, and some people living in container houses had no accessible facilities. These were the kinds of issues I sought to highlight.
Another photographer is Yang Shun-fa. His series "The Submerged Beauty of Formosa" brings to light different buildings that are submerged underwater. Through his work, he hopes to invite viewers to reflect on the relationship between humans and the environment.
Yang Shun-fa
Photographer
What I mainly wanted to explore was: why are these houses in the sea? Why have they been submerged by seawater? Is it due to land subsidence? Global warming? Rising sea levels? After discovering the first house, I decided to use this method, to walk along the entire coastline of Taiwan. Over the course of three years, I surveyed Taiwan’s shoreline. Wherever my car could reach, I stopped every 300 meters to observe and record the condition of the coast.
This is the National Center of Photography and Image’s annual collection exhibition titled "The Realm of Narrative: Witnessing and Inner Voice Behind the Lens," which showcases works by 16 photographers that reflect over 80 years of Taiwan’s photographic development. The exhibit will be held till May 24 at the National Center of Photography and Images in Taipei.
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2026-01-08
