ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Taiwan (Formosa) was an extremely beautiful island, and is said to be the origin of Austronesian languages. The ancestors of the aborigines were the guardians of Formosa; they lived on this land with modesty and discipline. They were humble, optimistic, simple, and courageous. However, the lack of opportunities for often education has left them in a disadvantage when faced with one after another invasion. In the course of history, they were used, oppressed and slaughtered.

I try to present the uniqueness and cultural characteristics intrinsic to the aborigines. Within the frame, what the work focuses on is the aboriginal people as a whole, rather than individuals or certain figures. The issues given rise to by historical incidents are not unique to just one group of people or just certain individuals. When I photograph the subjects, I intentionally blurred their facial features. Through long exposure and simulation, I seek to break the bond of time and present the lives of the aborigines’ ancestors on this island with an images captured in the present. From their carefree way of life where they lived in harmony with nature, to the oppression forced upon them by their invaders, the works portray the fundamental changes in their way of life and their mental state.

Unfortunately, the issues presented in the works still exist today - from the most basic matters as habitation, unemployment and often education, leading to high suicide rates, self-doubt and the denial of one’s own cultural values.

AUTHOR
Hsuan Chung is a passionate photographer who started his interest in photography when he was seventeen. After graduating in Mass Communication from I-SHOU University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan in 2010, he moved to the States. He earned his Master of Fine Arts degree in photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2019.

Chung’s work has received recognition in prestigious competitions like the Tokyo International Foto Awards, the International Photography Awards (IPA), and the MUSE Photography Awards, and has been exhibited internationally across the United States, Europe, and Asia. His work has been featured in publications such as Lensculture and Dodho Magazine. He is the author of Formosa Aborigines (2019), held in permanent collections including the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Resource Center, the National Central Library, National Taiwan University Library, and SCAD’s ACA Library.

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