The Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo will play host to "The Mirror of Time: Dry Plate Photography Exhibition" from April 12 to June 28 to introduce Taiwan's photographic heritage to Japanese exhibitiongoers.
Incorporating evolutions in photographic media, the exhibition captures life in early 20th-century Taiwan through the lens of six late photography pioneers — Zhang Qing-yan (張清言), Chang Chao-mu (張朝目), Fang Qing-mian (方慶綿), Deng Nan-guang (鄧南光), Hong Kong-da (洪孔達), and Wu Jin-miao (吳金淼).
Curated by award-winning photographer Chang Tsang-sang (張蒼松) and based on the collections of the Taipei-based National Taiwan Museum and the National Center of Photography, "The Mirror of Time" brings together 41 precious vintage assets to offer a social retrospective and the development of photography in Taiwan during the past century.
Alice Wang Shu-fang (王淑芳), director of the Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo, stated her hopes for advancing Taiwan-Japan exchanges in photography through these spectacular dry plates, particularly in the areas of photographic conservation and historic research.
In 2017, the "Reconstruction of Taiwan Art History" section of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program incorporated photographic culture among its tasks, and currently inventories of such are being conducted, in hopes of compiling and promoting precious photographic assets through collection, study, preservation, and restoration.
The National Taiwan Museum currently holds some 7,700-plus pieces of early photographic and cultural assets. Taiwan's hot, humid climate makes both dry plate and film highly susceptible to deterioration, especially given the fragile nature of the glass used in the former. Preserving these precious negatives is no easy task, and these early photographers and their families are remembered for their efforts and assistance.
‘The Mirror of Time: Dry Plate Photography Exhibition’
- Date: April 12 – June 28, 2019
- Venue: Taiwan Cultural Center in Tokyo
- Address: 2F, No.1-1-12 Toranomon, Minano-ku, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan
- Website: http://jp.taiwan.culture.tw/