Chien-Chi Chang Session (with post-screening dialogue with Jill Li)
In his work, Chang makes manifest the abstract concepts of alienation and connection. Chang’s investigation of the ties that bind one person to another was drawn on his own deeply divided immigrant experience first in the United States and later in Austria. For 24 years, Chang has photographed the bifurcated lives of the Chinese immigrants in New York’s Chinatown, along with those of their wives and families back home in Fujian, China. Still a work in progress, China Town was hung at the National Museum of Singapore in 2008 as part of a mid-career survey and at La Biennale di Venezia, 2009 as well as at International Center of Photography, New York. 2012.
Chang has had steady solo and group exhibitions including The Chain, La Biennale di Venezia, 2001, Museum der Kulturen Basel, 2011 and recently, Home, at National Art School Gallery/Sherman Contemporary Foundation, Sydney, 2014, Busan Biennale 2014. Chang has received numerous awards from National Press Photographers Association, Picture of Year (1998 & 1999, USA), World Press Photo (the Netherlands, 1998 & 1999) Visa d'Or at Visa Pour L’image (1999, France) and was the recipient of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund on Humanistic Photography in 1999.
Chang's photographs have been in the permanent collection of The National Media Museum, Bradford, Chi-Mei Museum, Tainan, International Center of Photography, New York City, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Los Angeles County Museum, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Queens Museum, New York City, Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach and Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei.
Discussion to be conducted primarily in Mandarin.
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Health Safety MeasurementsUpon entering the venue:
All visitors must keep their face mask on at all times, go through temperature checks;
No eating or drinking is allowed inside the theatre;
The venue reserves the right to refuse entry or remove from the premises any visitor who has a temperature of above 37.5°C or is in violation of any of the health and safety guidelines.
Overview
The first ethnic Chinese photographer to be elected to join Magnum Photos, Chien-Chi Chang has roamed the continents for decades, revealing exceptional stories of human experience. Chang has created acutely layered portrayals of the lives of illegal immigrants in New York City’s Chinatown, “defectors” from North Korea, Syrian refugees, mentally ill patients chained together in Taiwan, the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Tanzania, the democracy crisis in Myanmar … and many other stories about so-called “marginalised communities” or the “powerless”.
For eight years, Jill LI, Best Documentary winner of the 57th Golden Horse Awards, traced and recorded the Wukan protests in Lufeng, Guangdong. Lost Course does more than investigate land issues in rural China and the political corruption that enables it: the film reflects the gloom and anxiety of the individual in the face of such tyranny and injustice, showing us the airtight pressure of the society.
At this point in time in 2021, what topics do these two image makers care most about?
The dialogue will be held after the screenings of China Town, Side Chain and AZMA.
