Writings: Chang Chao-Tang

This book is the first collection of Chang Chao-Tang’s written works and never-published illustrations from 1960s to now, showcasing the renowned Taiwanese photographer’s narrative force beyond photography and his general love for all things art and cultural. In this book that features not one single photograph, we present to you the many different facades – in theatrics, rock, hippie, imagery, illustration – of Chang Chao-Tang.

Chao-Tang Chang, born in Banqiao, 1943. Graduated from Department of Civil Engineering at National Taiwan University in 1965. “Wherever you go, you’re at the scene.” As a high school student, Chao-Tang Chang picked up his camera and began to shoot, and he has not stopped since. His images reveal transcendence amidst the commonplace, intimacy amidst alienation, humor amidst the absurd. They reflect the photographer’s acute observations and earnest understanding, his substantial concern and empathy. He once said, “Photographers seek less for a vista as for an atmosphere, a state of existence. They could be monumental silence and emptiness, or subtle fantasy and expectation, or perhaps an alternative ineluctable form of energy and excitement.

His career spanning more than 50 years has encompassed photography, television programs, documentary films and dramas. His works not only feel the pulse of his age, but are also far-reaching witnesses to history. He is the recipient of several major awards, including the Golden Bell (1976), the National Award for Arts (1999) and the National Cultural Award (2011). He has curated exhibitions and taught courses on photography and film. He has organized, edited and written books on Taiwanese photographers and photography. With unflagging dedication he has worked to pass on, build up and promote the legacy of both still photography and motion pictures, guiding the less experienced, making considerable contributions and casting a long shadow in his field.