Department of Cultural Affairs

“Theater of the Times: Contemporary Images and Their Many Interpretations” showcases contemporary documentary photography by 17 artists from Taiwan and abroad, including Chien-chi Chang, Ching-hui Chou, Ming-yuan Chuan, Ching-tai Ho, San-tai Hsieh, Miyako Ishiuchi (Japan), Chen-hsiang Liu, Sheng-wen Lo, Daido Moriyama (Japan), Sohei Nishino (Japan), Suntag Noh (Korea), Catherine Opie (USA), Anna Ridler (UK), Chao-liang Shen, Hiroshi Sugimoto (Japan), Hoy-cheong Wong (Malaysia), and Bing Xu (China). 

The exhibition explores how rapid technological advances from analog to digital have transformed image-making, the role of the photographer, the content and meaning of images, and the processes through which they are created.

The title Theater of the Times metaphorically evokes the temporal and spatial layers constructed within images. The exhibition’s point of departure is Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Theaters and Abandoned Theater series, which uses long exposures to capture the entire duration of a cinema screening. The resulting glowing white screens contrast starkly with the darkened stages and empty seats, reflecting themes of time, existence, and transience, and the interplay between reality and illusion, inviting viewers to reflect on the essence of both image and perception.

Unearthing Hidden Histories and Memories

The exhibition opens by inviting viewers to gaze through the folds of time and reimagine the lives of those affected by historical trauma by examining the underlying forces of political power and cultural legacy. 

In 2025, the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Miyako Ishiuchi’s Hiroshima series presents tender images of the personal belongings bombing victims left behind. Illuminated by gentle light, these items bear traces of time and memory, their textures and colors bearing witness to the fleeting brilliance of life and the devastation of war. 

Ching-tai Ho’s A Hundred Years’ Covenant Between Man and God: the Paiwan Maljeveq Festival captures a sacred ritual of the Paiwan people in Tjuabal Village, Taitung, that takes place only once every five years. Using the wet plate collodion process—a method as unrepeatable as the ritual itself—Ho creates images that are both temporal imprints and profound testaments to cultural continuity and spiritual reverberation.

From Documentation to Narrative: A Photographic Evolution

As photographers delve into specific issues, their work often shifts from pure documentation to storytelling, both reshaping the viewing experience and also reflecting a growing social consciousness. 

Ching-hui Chou’s A Promised Land: The Planet of Angels focuses on the lives of children with disabilities and their families. Through in-depth interviews and staged scenes, Chou creates narrative triptychs that blur the lines between reality and imagination, opening a space for empathy and public dialogue. 

In Taiwanese Vaudeville Troupes, Chao-liang Shen documents the unique performance groups that appear at temple festivals, weddings, and funerals across Taiwan. By juxtaposing black-and-white images of backstage moments with the vibrant spectacle of neon stage trucks, Shen reveals the intersection of performance and folk tradition, offering insight into the dynamics of grassroots culture. 

Chen-hsiang Liu’s Temporary Scenery employs aerial photography to capture the ritualistic landscapes of religious festivals. Through images of people, offerings, and procession lines forming mysterious geometric patterns, Liu portrays these temporary but deeply meaningful spaces as powerful expressions of collective faith and imagination.

Introspection and Perception in Visual Landscapes

Photographs—fragments of reality framed through a lens—reveal not just what is seen, but how it is seen, reflecting the photographer’s introspection and perception. 

Daido Moriyama’s Record: Taiwan offers raw, intuitive snapshots of Taiwanese street life. His signature high-contrast, grainy, tilted black-and-white imagery becomes a visual record of social change and cultural fluidity. 

Sohei Nishino’s Day Drawing blends bodily experience with environmental mapping. He takes complex cityscapes from multiple perspectives and builds them into multi-layered visual tapestries. Using GPS to track his daily walking routes, he records glowing trajectories that reveal connections and rhythms between the individual and the urban environment.

Driven by curiosity about how people a century from now will view today’s images, Ming-yuan Chuan’s Time Capsule: VR Photography Project uses VR-integrated technology to document Taiwan’s iconic markets, landmarks, and public events. Viewers don VR headsets to immerse themselves in these once-familiar yet distant times and spaces, continuing their experience of the past while imagining the future. 

Anna Ridler explores the relationship between time, memory, and digital media in Circadian Nocturne. Using AI-generated imagery of nocturnal-blooming flowers, she visualizes the rhythms of life from a non-human temporal perspective, blending nature and digital aesthetics to expand sensory perception. 

Sheng-wen Lo’s Watch Out addresses the coexistence of humans and other species. Seemingly poetic landscapes contain hidden “treasures”: jewelry pieces designed after the remains of roadkill animals. 

These works highlight the tension between modern highways and natural habitats, urging reflection on the delicate balance between human development and ecological harmony.

*    The exhibition includes a series of talks and guided tours by experts. For more information, visit the Taipei Fine Arts Museum website or follow the museum on Facebook.

▍Theater of the Times: Contemporary Images and Their Many Interpretations

Dates: March 29–July 13

Location | Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Galleries 3A & 3B