Author:Chen Shun-chu(1963-2014)

Category：Installation Art

Media:Photographs, wooden boxes, and glass boxes

Year：1993

Introduction："My mother is the shortest and the most distant, yet she watches over the whole family." Image of Water is a photographic installation by Chen Shun-chu that explores family memory. The work features headshots of his father, mother, brother, older sister, brother-in-law, and himself at different stages of life, placed inside 25 wooden boxes. These portraits are arranged in a pyramid-like structure, with the father at the center and the mother positioned at the farthest point. The images inside the boxes are submerged in water, covering the mouths and noses of the family members, evoking a sense of suffocation. In Image of Water, water not only represents the natural environment of Chen’s hometown, Penghu, but its stillness also symbolizes the suspension of time. Within the artist’s consciousness, these sealed family portraits are endowed with a sense of eternity and historical significance. 

Author Introduction：「Chen Shun-chu」-Born in Penghu, Taiwan, Chen graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at Chinese Culture University, majoring in Western painting. In high school, he received his first camera from his father, marking the beginning of his close relationship with images. Chen’s work is autobiographical in nature, focusing on the connections between himself, his family, and his homeland. Since the 1990s, Chen has used images of his family members as a primary medium, integrating mixed media and installation to engage with space and landscape.

Accession number:20230053