Drive the Devil with a Mask

作品賞析

PAN Hsiao Hsia has spent many years documenting, photographing, and observing the history and culture of Lanyu (Orchid Island) since 1980. Drive the Devil with a Mask is a black and white photograph of the Tao people, the way they live, and their cultural traditions. The image shows the Tao in a boat launching ceremony. The owner of the boat wore a mask and stood in his vessel while the youths work together to haul the boat to the beach. The owner clenched both hands into fists, shaking them in circles to ward off evil and hungry spirits from his new vessel. PAN Hsiao Hsia’s photographs reveal rustic and sincere emotions. Traditional rites of Lanyu are documented to accurately depict the marine culture and everyday life of the Tao people.