Vision of Taiwan-Paddy Scenes 01

作品賞析

“Vision of Taiwan” is a photography series that artist Wu Cheng-Chang has been working on for many years. The shooting locations are mostly overdeveloped scenic areas, or green spaces surrounded by campaign flags. A kind of “subseries” that has extended from this is “Paddy Scenes,” which focuses on farmland scenery along the west coast of Taiwan, where paddy fields are often hemmed in by factories in sheet-metal buildings. Wu Cheng-Chang here chose a composition split between two halves, farmland below and metal sheets above, which subverts the stereotype of the endless farmland scene. While it presents a certain visual beauty, it also hints at the trade-offs between industrial and agricultural development. The face of the lone human figure in the painting is obliterated by the photographer’s use of a short burst of strong light on the subject’s face during a long exposure. Besides symbolizing “blindness” or “loss of vision,” it also symbolizes hidden worries over the possibility of losing control and balance.