Skip to main content

Taiwan photographer Sheng Chao-liang returns to Spain

  • Date:2018-09-23
Taiwan photographer Sheng Chao-liang returns to Spain

Stage cars are one of the most unique creations in Taiwanese culture and have a special place in many people's memories. From July 19 to Sept. 23, Taiwan's renowned photographer Shen Chao-liang (沈昭良) once again greeted Spanish exhibitiongoers with his stage-car series "STAGE" at the Sala Amárica gallery in Vitoria.  

 

As a former photojournalist, Shen has been working on thematic image creations since 1993 and has published many works since, including "Image: Nanfang'ao (映像南方澳)," "Yulan: Magnolia Flowers (玉蘭, 2008)," "Tsukiji Fish Market (築地魚市場, 2010)," "STAGE (2011)," "SINGERS & STAGES (2013)," and "Taiwanese Vaudeville Troupes (台灣綜藝團, 2016)."

 

Shen's works portray people enjoying the unique scenery of Taiwan and tasting the true flavors of local Taiwanese culture. His "STAGE" collection presents the beauty of countryside landscapes, the abundant colors of the seaside skies, and the splendor of neon lights in Taiwan. The underlying themes, however, focus on the scenes and lives in Taiwanese reality and bring attention to the problems beneath the surface.

 

Shen's works have toured exhibitions, festivals, and museums worldwide, including those in Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, Cambodia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Denmark, France, Holland, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. His photographs were even featured by Spain's Getxophoto Festival Internacional de Imagen (GETXOPHOTO) in 2009.

 

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Spain collaborated with independent Spanish curator Alejandro Castellote, jointly selecting 34 works from the "STAGE" series that was developed between 2006 and 2014, for the Vitoria exhibition. The organizers hope that Shen's unique way of cultural expression will boost public imagination about Taiwan.

 

Castellote is an illustrious Spanish curator and co-founder of photography festival "PHotoEspaña," for which he served as the artistic director from 1998 to 2000. He won the 2006 "Premio de Bartolomé Ros," a seminal award in the Spanish photography industry, in recognition of his outstanding curatorial contributions.