Never Say Farewell, Formosa! LOVE & PEACE

Never Say Farewell, Formosa! LOVE & PEACE

  • 03/10/2016-04/11/2016 (Closed on National holidays)
  • Opening Time: Monday - Friday, from 11:00 to 17:00
  • Venue: Art Gallery, NCCU Art & Culture Center

Written by Yuan-Chih Yang

Since it has been decided I have no choice but live rest of my life with photography.I always question myself what am I searching for as a photographer besides for making a living?

What Susan Sontag has raised in her book
Regarding The Pain of Others - Is the image wanting to obtain audience's sympathy or just to satisfy their voyeurs like a mental consumer goods. Would the image make audience even become more confusion in the long run?

In my career I always think what is the motive and purpose of taking those images, I simply hope they will bring influence to the society and make the world better. In the second half of my life I have experienced and witnessed the changes of Taiwan's political and economical progression, the transitional changes of society and the environmental issues.

A lots of uncertainty among people have been produced through the sequence of democracy, multi development of social movement and the 3 times governor changes in 16 years within the two political parties.

We have gone through the conflict from the political opposite, public media commercialized, the economic down turn, land and water were over-developed and polluted, industrial pollution, eco protection and social security issues…. Taiwan seems now to face an uncertain future, and people has a lots anxiety, but also an expectation.

The expectation is to see if Taiwan would be like The Portuguese in 400 years ago voyaged here and surprisedly saw such a beautiful island and called "IIha Formosa", and to preserve this land of Taiwan continually to be as beautiful and prosperous island as before.

At the now day we have the most advanced smart phone, we have the poorest people to people communication. Our dwelling place has been increased, our heart and mind have been decreased.

Our democracy has been progressive, our political opposite has become worse. Our distance of traveling has been shorten, our contact with neighbors has become impossible. Our life can live longer than before, our divorce rate can go higher than before.

We have lived in this island together and gone through all the happiness and sadness in our olddays, and still we are living in the same boat but to share all the good and bad together.

We do not want to say Farewell to Taiwan's original beauty, but we want to hold the heritage of "FORMOSA" - The Beautiful Island forever.

 

The photography exhibition will include four major chapters which have been covered in my 30 years career as a professional photographer:

  • The Snap Shots of Progressive History
  • Story of People
  • Portraits
  • Living

I wish through this exhibition it will help us to recall and rethink, to strive together for the hope of a long lasting "Beautiful Taiwan"- FORMOSA, and a prosperous island.