This documentary exhibition is an extension of an interview with Chou Pen-Chi, chief editor of the Independence Evening Post feature section “Visual Attack,” and Liu Chen-Hsiang, director of photography for the Independence Morning Post. Published in Modern Art quarterly (no. 207), the interview discusses the numerous subjects documented in photographs by the Independence Post from 1988 to 1994. The exhibition also relies on photographer Hsu Po-hsin’s collection of original newspapers from that era. Following a close perusal of Independence Post archives, we found that their special photography features began with the “Photography Monthly” supplement launched in January 1985 and continued through mid-1994, when the newspapers came under new management. Afterward, almost no special photography sections could be found. From this area of research, spanning more than 600 pages of photographs, we have selected the works featured in this exhibition. These full newspaper spreads with as many as 7 to 8 pages of pictures depict a plethora of issues, supplemented by texts that are sometimes literary (prose or poetry) and sometimes reportorial in nature. The layouts are visually powerful and eye-catching, dexterously designed with large headlines, artful fonts and illustrations.

These images allow us to observe part of the evolving history of photography in Taiwan. The gradual ascendance of printed publications and reporting since the 1970s led to many professional photojournalists contributing to the field of photography, which had once been dominated by groups of amateur enthusiasts. These visual images accompanying special news reports possessed not only practical meaning, but also deeply aesthetic qualities and creative value in their own right. In the 1980s, as reportorial photography gradually took root, the streets became the battlefield for the pursuit of democratization and a variety of social causes, and photographers were drawn to these scenes. At the same time many media outlets dedicated to social issues or political opposition made good use of the power of pictures, creating more space in their publications for visual images. In the mid-1980s, the Independence Evening Post gradually placed greater value on photography, particularly news photography. In 1988, when restrictions on newspapers were lifted, the media entered a new era of competition. In January of that year, the Independence Post organization, which had hitherto only run the Independence Evening Post, also began issuing the Independence Morning Post (1988-1999). Continuing its sister paper’s focus on photography, it announced on its founding day that it would host the first “Taiwan’s Best News Photos of the Year” awards in the wake of the new press freedoms. Many photographers, amateur and professional alike, flocked to participate in the competition, which spurred the elevation of photojournalistic standards.

For a decade, the Independence Post newspapers served as a platform for Taiwan’s major photography critics, photojournalists and freelance photographers, many of whom were published for the first time in their pages, including Chuang Ling, Wang Hsin, Chang Chao-tang, Juan I-jong, Hsieh Chun-te, Liang Cheng-Chu, Lin Bo-Liang, Kuan Hsiao-Jung, Kuo Li-Hsin, Wu Chia-Pao, Liu Huan-Yue, Chang Tsang-Sang, Lee Wen-Chi, Liu Chen-Hsiang, Pan Hsiao-Hsia, Hsu Po-hsin, Ho Ching-Tai, Hsieh San-Tai, Tseng Wen-Pang, Wu Yao-Kun, Ken Chen, Lin Tian-Fu, Lai Chun-Piao, Chou Ching-Hui, Tsai Wen-Hsiang, Tsai Ming-Te, Yeh Ching-Fang, Hou Tsung-Hui, and Kuo Chuan-Chiu, as well as the filmmaking collective the Green Team.

The materials in this exhibition afford us a glimpse at how Taiwan of the 1980s viewed photography, especially reportorial photography. Through these special photographic feature sections, we can not only learn of photographers’ practical work, but also see the visual records of the many social issues that were their common concern at the time, expressed on many different dimensions. These images may serve as a springboard to facilitate observations of the history of images and the history of print supplements. They may also suggest several key areas of interest, including awareness and systematic understanding of the development of Taiwanese photography, changes in newspaper media, the themes of news photography, and the times, styles and aesthetics it reflected. Through the images of that era captured by photojournalists, we hope not only to present the meanings and messages of the subject matter, but also to arouse greater interest and study.

Notice       

• All backpacks and items exceeding 40 x 30 x 20 cm must be stored in a locker at the Museum Information Center located in the lobby.
• Participating in the documentary exhibition is free of charge. Please purchase an ordinary TFAM visitor’s ticket when entering the museum.

Research Department | 02-25957656 #120