Page 184 - 臺中市第二十七屆大墩美展專輯

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Photography

Category
Juror's Statement CHUNG Ling

The Photography Category at the 27th Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition received 259 submissions, among which, an entry was submitted from
Mongolia, Japan, and India respectively; five jurors—HUANG Chia-Sen, CHANG Kuo-Chih, CHIEN Jung-Tai, LIN Bo-Liang, and myself,
CHUNG Ling—carried out two rounds of meticulous reviews, selecting a total of 33 winning works: 25 Shortlisted Works, 5 Award of Merit
winners, and each of the top three prize winners.
Looking back at the numbers of submissions in the past, the Photography Category has almost always been the one category at Da Dun Fine Arts
Exhibition that receives the most submissions; this year, however, the Oil Painting Category received the most submissions (293). Nonetheless, based
on the expressions of all the entries in the Photography Category, it seems that photography in Taiwan has reached a period of maturity. On surface,
the participating photographers followed the trend and adopted the format of “series of single photographs;” however, based on observations on the
depth of content, innovative techniques, and artistic presentation, the jury discovered quite some brilliant and innovative works.
Third Prize-winning Impression of the Sea by LIN Zhi-Cong is a brilliant work that horizontally combines five oceanic landscapes; all five photos
utilize two main colors of blue and brown, and different isolated objects on the spacious and empty beach as the visual focal points, accentuating the
tranquility and unworldly beauty of nature on the vast beach. This is an extraordinary work that adopts only traditional techniques of photography
to express sensual colors, delicate textures, and literary imageries.
Second Prize-winning Protector by LI Shun-Mao features four vertically combined colorful portraits of indigenous ancestors with similar
compositions and flowers growing on their heads. The work has rich and bright colors, and the brushstrokes of the portraits are thick and primitive,
exuding the innocent, natural, and rugged aesthetics of Taiwan’s indigenous art. These portraits are tribal protectors; the flowers and plants growing
on their heads were deliberately planted after the indigenous people were forced to relocate to a new tribal village after Typhoon Morakot. In
addition to showing gratitude for ancestral spirits’ protection, the work also aims to pass on the tribal spirit – bravely march towards the future with
optimism and gratitude.
CHAN Wen-Fu’s The Rainbow Body won First Prize. The work features four dark-colored oval frames on golden backing paper and the bodies
of four pole dancers on different outdoor stages. The images are horizontally combined to present this unique work. In addition to innovative images
and radiant colors, the artist also adopted computer synthesizing technique to create “highlights” at the top and bottom edges of the four frames,
layering in the street trees and flower branches shot with flashlight at night, as well as the stages and surrounding environments, and creating a
surreal sensation. Looking at the work, the artist really adopted the perspective of contemporary art, and utilized the stackability of photography to
combine frames, real portraits, flowers and trees, and stages into one, in aim to show everyone in this world that cultivation is possible everywhere
and anywhere in this world—as long as you stick to the right path, do your best, and be consistent, regardless of your professional, you will be able
to achieve perfection and enlightenment, attaining the Rainbow Body, like great masters of Tibetan Buddhism! This is a masterpiece of contemporary
photography that is also highly experimental and philosophical.
Lastly, I’d like to wish that Da Dun Fine Arts Exhibition can continue to grow and expand in the future, in terms of number of participations
and number of submissions, attracting more foreign artists for greater international influences and enhancing the international reputation of the
exhibition.