flickr.com/photos/wuphoto/se … 206661831/
I saw this guy’s work at a joint photography exhibition earlier this year and I think it’s worth sharing. Wu Zhengzhang (吳政璋) has been doing this Vision of Taiwan (台灣「美景」) series for a few years now. Many of the photos present what he would consider the ugly side of Taiwan (crisscrossing power lines, betelnut stands, piles of driftwood), but they have a haunting beauty about them. What makes Wu’s images unique is the way he inserts himself into them, using a handheld flash to transform his facial features into a nondescript white oval.
According to the description below the most recently posted photo, Wu’s work is being exhibited throughout October at Liaoning Street Lane 45 #29 (遼寧街45巷29號1F) in Taipei. I’ll probably go at some point within the next couple weeks: even though I’ve seen a lot of the photos online, they’re so much more powerful in person. If you’re interested, go check them out!
By the way, this is not an advertisement. I have no personal or financial connection with Mr. Wu, I’m just a fan of his work, and I’d like more people to know about it. I feel like Taiwan has all these amazing creative people who labor in relative obscurity; I wish I knew about more of them.