Author:Chang Chao-tang(1943-2024)

Category：Photography

Media:Gelatin silver print

Edition：1/10

Year：1980

Introduction：Dim Light consists of 26 photographs capturing Chang Chao-tang’s documentation of northern Taiwan’s mining areas from 1977 to 1984. These images span locations such as Jiufen, Haishan in Sanxia, Houtong in Ruifang, and Yuandun in Miaoli, focusing primarily on the lives of miners. The photographs depict workers riding minecarts in and out of the tunnels, resting by railway tracks and under pit props, sharpening pickaxes in blacksmith rooms, and various scenes of daily life, such as bathing in bathhouses or moving through alleyways beneath propaganda slogans. The series also records artist Hung Jue-lin sketching in the mines. In addition to the depictions of daily life, Chang Chao-tang expertly leverages the unique atmosphere of the mine settings. In the dim tunnels, he uses the focused beam of searchlights to sculpt striking close-ups of the figures’ faces. His lens also captures groups of people shrouded in an eerie, solemn, and sometimes desolate atmosphere, blending intimacy with a sense of cold detachment, maintaining his signature cold yet evocative visual language.

Author Introduction：「Chang Chao-tang」-Born in Banqiao, New Taipei City, Taiwan, Chang studied civil engineering at National Taiwan University, where Western modern thought shaped his absurd and detached style. A pioneer in Taiwan’s modern photography, he co-founded V-10 Visual Art Group in 1971. Joining China Television in 1968, he produced documentaries like “60 Minutes” and “The Journey of Image.” From the late 1970s, he worked on films such as China Behind and The Woman of Wrath, integrating photography, documentary, and cinema into his creative path.

Accession number:20230038