Department of Cultural Affairs

A picture speaks more than a thousand words. The power of a photograph is direct and evident. It communicates in a non-verbal way. To promote the art of photography, the long-anticipated Taipei Photography Center opened in Beitou on May 13 with the presence of local photography enthusiasts.

“Its 250-square meter first floor will host four to five exhibitions a year,” said Hsieh Hsiao-yun, Commissioner of Taipei City's Department of Cultural Affairs. “The 330-square meter second floor will be the venue for workshops, seminars and a café.”

Once part of an urban planning project, the site was donated by a building contractor to the Taipei City Government.

“In the future we look forward to a national museum on photography,” said Hsieh.

A photography museum is what Chuang Ling, photographer and curator of the current exhibition on flowers, has been promoting over the years. Chuang used to be a photo journalist at the Taiwan Television Enterprise for 36 years.

“I organized an association to push for an establishment on photography in 2006. People in the photography circle and I are so glad to see that our efforts have yielded fruit,” he said.

“Taipei Photography Center is a platform for exchanges. It is a step forward on the way to building a photography museum.”

The exhibition has 181 works from 28 photographers and 17 students from local elementary and high schools. The works present not only the beauty of flowers, but also “the flower in the minds of the photographer”.

In addition, articles of daily use, for example, flower-shaped decoration on the doors and pillars, ceramics, furniture, and clothes form a section of the exhibition.

Taipei Photography Center is located at No.22 Guang Ming Rd, Beitou District, Taipei. It’s jut next to the Beitou Station of the MRT’s Red Line.