To mark the first anniversary of the National Center of Photography and Images (NCPI), the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (NTMoFA) held a celebration ceremony on Apr. 27.
Hosted by NTMoFA's Director Liang Yung-fei (梁永斐), the ceremony was attended by Head of the MOC's Department of Arts Development Liang Chin-chih (梁晋誌), Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), and other important figures in the fields of photography and art, such as photographers Chuang Ling (莊靈) and Hwang Pai-chi (黃伯驥).
At the ceremony, Director Liang said that the Ministry of Culture has made commitments to propel work in relevant areas, such as the rescue, repair, and preservation of photographic cultural assets, research and promotion of photography-and-image-based arts; and cultivating talent in restoration. He also expressed his appreciation and presented certificates to those who previously donated their works to NCPI. He stated that the center will make an effort to maximize the value of the collections through promotion and digitalization in the future. Additionally, he hopes NCPI can continue to make strides and set up more centers in other places.
NCPI is Taiwan's first photography and video art institution as well as the former site of the Osaka Shosen Kaisha Taipei Branch. Restoration work on this historic landmark was completed in 2019 as part of the Ministry of Culture’s project "A plan of Rescuing National Photographic Assets and Establishing a Center of Photography and Images." The project is currently coordinated and implemented by NTMoFA, tasked with operating and managing the NCPI Taipei, as well as establishing offices in Taichung for collection, research, and administrative support.
To date, NCPI has collected more than 12,577 photographic works and archives, ranging from historical images shot by western explorers in the early 19th century to modern photographers' works. There are more than 4,000 pieces of donated works in the collection which includes early photographic assets such as Shashin Cho (寫真帖) from the Japanese occupation period.