An opening ceremony for “Vanités Modernes,” an exhibition of the work of 19 modern photographers from Taiwan and France, was held July 17 in Taipei City.
MOC Minister Li Yuan said at the event that the world today is marked by diminishing biodiversity, rapid climate change and mounting disasters and pollution stemming from human action, leading to increased fear. He added that the chosen photos, carefully selected to evoke feelings inspired by the 17th-century vanitas genre of European art, invite reflection on loneliness and despair.
National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts Director Chen Kuang-yi described the event as the result of cultural exchanges spanning 10 years, while event curator Raphaële Bertho said that she hopes to bring the exhibition to France in the future.
Running through Nov. 23 at the National Center of Photography and Images, the exhibition is organized by the Ministry of Culture and implemented by the NCPI and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, with support from the FOT.
The two-part exhibition features artists including Chou Ching-hui, Shen Chao-liang and Yao Jui-chung from Taiwan, and Frédéric Delangle, Alexia Fiasco and Alban Lécuyer from France. The curators and artists will also share their experiences with the audience in two sessions on July 18 and 19.
The exhibition’s first part, “Nos Territoires,” prompts consideration of the world as shaped by humans and interrogation of how people learn to live in a world where concrete, asphalt and neon have replaced mountains and forests. In “La Ville,” the images on display show how the city serves as a catalyst for photographers to critique modernity’s ideals. (SFC-E)
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