Artwork Appreciation
Farewell to the Fox – 11 is one of a series of works by photographer Teng Po-Jen. The inspiration came from his interactions with students. He found that his own past was very different from that of young people today, so he began to trace his own memories by photographing them. In this picture, a young couple holding hands and dressed for a wedding stand with their backs to the viewer; bride and groom wear rooster and hen masks over their heads. They stand under a blue sky with wispy white clouds, as bubbles signifying joy and celebration fly above them. They are about to get married and enter the next stage of their lives. The endless sky that fills most of the picture symbolizes the unknowable future, but even so, the two, despite wearing masks that make it impossible to see each other, hold hands firmly ready to be together as they move into the future.