Arles, July 6 (CNA) Four Taiwanese artists’ environment-related works are being featured in the French city of Arles at an annual summer photography festival running from July 3 until Sept. 24.
The works of the four artists are currently being exhibited as part of Les Rencontres d’Arles, which organizes exhibitions every year with various partners and locations.
The theme of this year’s exhibition is centered around awareness of the ecology.
The photography of Taiwanese artists Hsu Cheng-tang (許震唐), Kuo Che-hsi (郭哲希) and Wu Chuan-lun (吳權倫) are entered as a part of the “Grow Up” program the festival has organized with the Fondation Manuel Rivera-Ortiz (MRO Foundation) at the latter’s building.
Lo Sheng-wen’s (羅晟文) mixed medium piece, meanwhile, is included into the “Hear Near” project of the festival, which has been headquartered at French supermarket chain Monoprix’s largest complex in Arles.
Plant-based photography
In tune with the theme of the festival, Kuo’s “Colonial Pine (殖民地之杉)” is a pun on the English common name of araucaria cunninghamii and the history of the planting of the tree in Taiwan.
Speaking with CNA, Kuo, who is a self-professed history buff, explained that the pine species that was the subject of his photographs was initially introduced to Taiwan during Japan’s colonial rule.
He explained that following the establishment of the Republic of China in Taiwan, the government ordered the trees to be planted in the likes of government compounds, schools and memorials to establish a sense of authority through the species’ natural height.
Kuo said his series of photographs taken at many such landmarks aim to explore the relationship between the tall trees with the ideals of authority.
Kuo added that his photographs are intended to be critical, adding that such architectures and plantations should be added into Taiwan’s discussions about transitional justice.
Hsu, meanwhile, chose to focus on anthropology and agriculture.
Naming his series “Tobacco Leaves (二忘菸水),” Hsu’s photographs explore the agricultural impact tobacco leaf communities experienced through irrigating along the Zhuoshui River.
Hsu especially focused on taking photos at Yunlin County’s Linnei Township and its neighbor across the bank, Changhua County’s Ershui Township, documenting the last batch of tobacco leaves harvested and manufactured in the counties under the government’s guaranteed purchase deal which ended in 2017.
As the government ceased to commit to purchasing tabaco from the communities after 2017, all the clothing and equipment used for the industry there became things of the past.
On his work, Hsu said he hopes it will enable reflections towards trade and globalization by looking back at a river that was an example for monopolized agriculture.
Finally, Wu’s “JTC (接替器)” was shot around his old stomping ground in Tainan and centered around how factories in the neighborhood recycled industrial equipment such as containers to be used as pots and vases for plants.
He said he had intended to record off-balanced aesthetics created through misusing objects that are only possible thanks to grassroots frugality.
Wu said while the majority of modern debates discuss the relationship between nature and civilization, his work, on the other hand, “casually captures grassroots scenery while observing the connection between metropolitan culture with nature.”
The photography of Hsu, Kuo and Wu also make up the “Focus on Taiwan — Heteroplantation, Symbiosis” special program that is a part of “Grow Up.”
The special program is managed by independent Taiwanese curator Meg Chang (張弘瑜) and MRO Foundation’s chieft curator Florent Basiletti.
On the three Taiwanese artists, Basiletti told CNA that it was an honor to invite Taiwanese artists who are less known in France, adding that “Taiwan’s culture is very different, which brings to us a different kind of dialogue and perspective.”
X marks the spot
Unlike his three photographer peers, Lo’s work is a large-scale treasure hunt that features videography and crafted jewelries alongside photography.
Based in the Netherlands, Lo was invited to participate in the 2023 festival by Dutch documentary photography space FOTODOK.
The ecology awareness aspect of Lo’s “Watch Out” comes from reflecting on the number of animals that perished around France’s largest marsh, Camargue.
Lo had surveyed the marsh since 2020, a home to around 400 different species, and noticed an alarming number of deaths by roadkill from vehicles cruising on the road around it.
Lo said he wanted to bring awareness to roadkill through art because the government has failed to protect the safety of animals.
Lo’s piece encourages treasure hunt participants to revisit the sites of animal deaths and truly take in the scenes while searching for scattered craft jewelry pieces made by Taiwanese designer Yang Ching-hui (楊景惠), which double as both prize and a totem of awareness to participants.
On the attention given to the four artists, Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris Director Hu Ching-fang (胡晴舫) said all four individuals presented Taiwan’s rich creativity in different angles to show Taiwan’s value towards ecology.
