France-based Taiwanese artist Chia Huang (黃迦) opened her solo exhibition “Silence is Speaking” at the European House of Photography (La Maison Européenne de la Photographie) in Paris on Feb. 5. The exhibition features two brothers from Taitung, A-Ce (阿策) and A-Zhan (阿湛), who live with severe autism, and showcases their co-creation with the artist.
“Silence is Speaking” won the 2024 Dior Photography and Visual Arts Award for Young Talents. Established in 2018, the award is an international competition for students and recent graduates of leading art and photography schools, with the winner granted the opportunity to hold a solo exhibition at the European House of Photography the following year.
“Silence is Speaking” is the result of Huang’s six-month documentation of A-Ce and A-Zhan’s lives in 2018. Embracing a collaborative approach to photography, Chia Huang incorporates the prolific drawings of the two brothers, which cover the walls of their home, into her work. This project sheds light on the pain and confusion experienced by this family as they navigate the expectations of Taiwanese society, still steeped in traditional norms.
Aden Vincendeau, curator at the European House of Photography, described “Silence is Speaking” as an intimate project that offers viewers a glimpse into the boys’ inner world, allowing viewers to experience their unique, nonverbal ways of communicating.
The exhibition runs until Mar. 30. For more information, visit the European House of Photography website.