Photography

2011

Length:150 x Width:100 (cm)

Wu Cheng-Chang (b. 1965, Pingtung) holds a bachelor's degree in printing from Chinese Culture University and a master's degree in photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design in the United States. Wu has worked as a photographer for professional baseball publications, Formosa Plastics Group, and Business Weekly. He currently teaches at Ling Tung University. His work has received numerous awards, including honors from the Pingtung Art Exhibition, the Provincial Art Exhibition, the Kaohsiung Award, the Taipei Arts Award, and The Power of Self in New York. He has held solo and group exhibitions in cities including Taipei, Kaohsiung, Nantou, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, and New York.
This photograph is part of Wu’s Beautiful Taiwan series. Since 2007 he has traveled the island to record scenes where beauty and ugliness intertwine. His work reflects a deep observation and contemplation of the environment. This particular piece was taken in Jiadong Township, Pingtung County. The layered plastic pipes in the image are used for extracting groundwater. Due to the area’s thriving aquaculture industry, excessive groundwater extraction has led to long-term land subsidence—a pressing environmental issue. Wu transforms these utilitarian pipes into aesthetic elements, revealing their inescapable relationship with the fish farms they support. He also includes himself in the frame, using a burst of light to overexpose his face. This intentional “blindness” symbolizes the willful ignorance of those who live amid environmental degradation.

Accession number:20170100027