New Taipei City Art Museum Exhibition Audio Guide

In the 1970s, traditional opera gradually declined due to urbanization, industrial growth, and the enforcement of the national mandarin language policy. During this period, the Dadaocheng Ling-An Society stood out. Founded in 1871, the Lin-An Society is Taipei’s oldest Beiguan amateur society. It has long participated in deity-welcoming ceremonies at the Xia Hai City God Temple and in local festivals, sustaining the zidixi tradition rooted in temple festival culture.

 

At the end of 1975, Chiu Kun-liang, who was then teaching in the Department of Drama at Chinese Culture College, led his students to the Ling-An Society to learn Zidixi from folk masters. This was the first instance in Taiwan in which college students sought guidance from the Minjian sphere through an organized approach. The students’ focus went beyond operatic techniques—by engaging with stage movements, singing styles, theatrical makeup, and traditional percussion, they performed on open-air stages to personally re-understand and reconnect with the deep link between traditional opera and local society.

 

After their first public appearance in 1977, this group of students began performing in various locations, including temple courtyards, neighborhood streets, harbors, and local festivals. Photographer Lin Bo-liang documented their journey starting in 1979, capturing everything from rehearsals and makeup applications to stage performances, and interactions with local audiences. Rather than adopting a purely observational approach, his camera serves as a partner to these young performers—witnessing their evolution from students to genuine performers and their humility in facing the scrutiny of traditional folk masters and local crowds.

 

Apart from Lin Bo-liang’s photography, Han Sheng (the Chinese version of ECHO magazine) published a special feature on the Ling-An Society in 1976, offering a detailed documentation of this traditional culture of amateur musical societies. In 1977, Chang Chao-tang directed the documentary Archive / Ling-An Society, which captures invaluable footage of their public performance near Taipei’s Water Gate No. 9. The film preserves the unrestored quality of the original celluloid, with visible scratches, a reddish hue, and coarse grain—elements that enhance the viewing experience by reflecting the fluid and energetic outdoor theater live.

 

This collection of photographs, films, and archival publications invites us to reflect on a significant cultural experiment from the 1970s, created by intellectual youth, documentary filmmakers, and folk artists. They went beyond mere documentation of a tradition; they immersed themselves in Minjian society, took part in it, and, through each rehearsal and performance, critically rethought their relationship to local culture while seeking and reshaping the concept of “the Minjian” in the contemporary world.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

On March 25, 1982, a tragic explosion occurred at the Futian Coal Mine in Neihu, Taipei. This image before you capture the moment when miner Li Ping-tsai broke down emotionally after finding a deceased colleague’s body and bringing him out of the mine shaft.

 

The intense grief depicted is more than a momentary reaction to a single tragedy; it reflects the broader context of the 1980s, an era marked by the decline of Taiwan’s coal mining industry. During that time, frequent mine disasters forced many workers to operate in highly risky conditions that rarely drew public attention. Therefore, this photograph serves as crucial testimony to that period in labor history.

 

Through documentary photography, we see that the “Minjian” encompasses far more than local customs, religious faiths, or the textures of daily life. It also reflects the silent suffering of individuals swept up in historical shifts. The photographer captures the miner’s physical form, the memory of the disaster, and the social reality of the time in a single, undeniable moment.

 

This work also reflects a significant shift in Taiwanese documentary photography during the 1980s. Photographers began to focus on the darker sides of rapid development, including urban-rural transitions, industrial changes, and their impact on people. Consequently, the Minjian became not only a cultural landscape but also a vital space for understanding Taiwan’s social and historical changes.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

This photograph, published in the April issue of Lion Art in 1978, shows a child seated comfortably on a water buffalo as it wades through a fast-moving stream. When Chiang Hsun, the magazine’s editor-in-chief at the time, saw the image, he remarked: “The child sitting on the buffalo in the middle of the rapids looks so natural and at ease, gazing fearlessly at the surging currents.” This straightforward, vigorous vitality has been gradually disappearing from our lives, swept away by increasing commercialization and urban growth.

 

Yao Meng-chia’s photography not only records rural scenes but also vividly captures the texture of Taiwanese society caught between tradition and modernity. During times of rapid change, the calm, unhurried atmosphere in the images conveys a strong connection to the land and everyday life. At the same time, it subtly hints at nostalgia for a transitioning era, prompting viewers to reflect on traditional lifestyles and spiritual landscapes that are slowly fading into history.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

Chang Chao-tang’s photography often features musicians, wanderers, and long-distance travelers. Their identities are not always clear, and they sometimes lack detailed backstories. Instead, they appear as transient silhouettes pausing in their journeys, enveloped in silence and mystery, inviting the viewer’s imagination to fill the gaps.

 

In this vitrine, the first exhibit is a photograph by Werner Bischof, included in the 1977 Life Notes. It depicts a young flute player approaching a village in the Andes. This image was later curated by Chang Chao-tang, copied freehand by Shi Song’s mother, and ultimately transformed into a woodblock print by Shi Song. Over time, the image moved beyond its original context, evolving into a cross-media, ever-changing cultural symbol. In this context, “nostalgia” extends beyond a simple longing for the homeland; it becomes an emotion repeatedly evoked through shifting imagery, text, and memories.

 

This transformation continues in a seaside group photograph featured in the 1978 edition of Life Notes. Discovered in sculptor Ju Ming’s old photo albums, the photograph’s original creator, subjects, and location remained entirely unknown. Chang contrasted this anonymous image from Minjian society with the classic Taiwanese song “Song of Tobacco and Alcohol”,  imbuing the photo with the drifting mood of a cinematic still.

 

Years later, the public learned that the figures in the photo were friends from a glove puppetry troupe, taken on the coast of Tongxiao, Miaoli. Because their identities were once unknown, the photo evoked strong feelings of wandering, nostalgia, and life’s journey. It has inspired Shi Song’s woodblock print Winter Seashore, Lin Hwai-min’s dance piece My Nostalgia, My Songs, and the theatrical production *Pirated Version: My Nostalgia, My Songs *by Wang Mo-lin and Wang Jun-jieh — all of which continue to be reinterpreted across diverse art forms.

 

Since the 1970s, “returning to the native soil” has been a crucial topic in Taiwanese cultural discussions. Nevertheless, these works remind us that “homeland” is not always a physical location one can visit. Rather, it is an emotional realm that is constantly redefined through a mix of images, sounds, and memories.

 

Consequently, this vitrine does not merely display the pursuit of an “origin.” Instead, it shows how a single photograph can be circulated, appropriated, transformed, and reinterpreted by various creators, constantly generating new cultural significance. It is through this ongoing process of change that the “Minjian” is continuously reimagined.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

This image of the Mazu statue before you were featured in an article titled “A Hall of Traditional Sculpture: Grand Mazu Temple,” which appeared in the 7th issue of *Han Sheng *(the Chinese edition of ECHO magazine) as part of “Form-Making in Chinese Culture.” Photographed by Huang Yung-sung and written by Shi Song under the pseudonym “Chiang Sheng,” the reportage is considered a significant early work of Han Sheng.

 

This feature is important not only for creating a valuable visual record of the Grand Mazu Temple in Tainan but also for documenting the Han Sheng team’s immersive fieldwork within Minjian society. Rather than simply showcasing the temple’s architecture and religious statues, it honestly portrays the photographic process, including how the team communicated with temple authorities, managed lighting and angles in tight spaces, and worked within a sacred site. Throughout, they maintained respect and humility, ensuring that traditional culture was not reduced to a spectacle for visual consumption.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

The work before you, titled Outside the Temple in the Afternoon, is an iconic piece from Huang Tse-hsiu’s Lungshan Temple series. It portrays a crowd, with some people trading while others stroll or pause to talk. Despite the lively scene, a sense of quietude and detachment lingers among the figures.

 

Upon closer inspection, you will notice that this temple courtyard, typically flooded with bright afternoon sunlight, looks as dark as night. Through high-contrast darkroom processing, the figures and architecture are rendered in sharp black-and-white tones, creating a hazy, trance-like atmosphere. In the background, a circular lens flare resembles a full moon, transforming the daytime scene into a dreamlike view.

 

The creative development of this work can be traced through the working photographs in Taiwan Historica’s collection. The archive shows an intriguing evolution: starting with a naturally lit, realistic early version, then gradually increasing contrast, and ultimately reaching a final version rich in the mood of nightfall. The moon-like light spot was also shaped during this process and was not present when the photograph was taken. This alteration is reminiscent of the accidental lunar halo in Chang Tsai’s Eternal Resting Place, which resulted from film development.

 

Even more interestingly, Huang Tse-hsiu chose to display these images in his later years. While revising the photobook for the Lungshan Temple series, he placed two similar photos side by side on a double-page spread. By comparing different versions, researchers discovered a subtle detail that had been overlooked: both the official print held by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts and several archival photos had been mirror-reversed. As a result of this flip, the previously illegible writing on the temple walls became legible, revealing that the text was related to election slogans at the time.

 

This subtle detail reminds us that during martial law, the plaza outside Lungshan Temple was more than a gathering spot for religious and daily activities; it was also a crucial public space for political propaganda and social events. Through techniques such as darkroom processing, mirror reversals, and compositional changes, Huang subtly concealed this history—half-whispered—within the photographs and reconsidered the possibilities of documentary photography. This approach shows that documentary photography is not limited to recording objective reality but can also use artistically charged visual experimentation to evoke the atmosphere of an era and the unspoken collective memory of its people.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

This work, titled Eternal Resting Place, was taken among a group of graves in Tainan’s Anping. Instead of a purely literal depiction of the scene, Chang Tsai infused the photograph with his personal artistic touch.

 

Closely observing the sky, you will notice an unusual halo. This was not a natural atmospheric phenomenon when the photo was taken. Instead, it was an accidental mark left by an air bubble or chemical residue during film development. Rather than fixing this defect, Chang chose to keep it. The blemish unexpectedly casts a mysterious aura over the scene, blurring the line between reality and illusion. This adds a deeper, more mournful sense of remembrance to the tranquil cemetery.

 

This seemingly accidental detail suggests that Chang was engaging in more than documenting landscapes. It reflects a photographer willing to embrace the medium’s spontaneous possibilities, emphasizing the highly experimental nature of his photographic approach.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

This image depicts a temple’s silhouette gradually blending into thick smoke and darkness. It captures a historic moment: on September 21, 1941, a total solar eclipse darkened Lungshan Temple in Taipei. Featured as a full-bleed, double-page spread in the “Customs in Monga during a Solar Eclipse” section of Minzoku Taiwan, this work presents a dense composition filled with dramatic tension.

 

Matsuyama Kenzo’s early career in film production is evident in his photography, which demonstrates a strong command of cinematic language. Rather than merely documenting isolated moments, he works like a storyboard artist—creatively assembling scenes to guide the viewer through a visual story, step by step.

 

On the left side of the frame, a crowd gathers in front of Lungshan Temple’s bell and drum tower, gazing upward with curiosity at the eclipse. In the center, an elderly woman kneels in prayer, appealing to the mythic “Tiangou,” or Celestial Dog, who is believed to swallow the sun during an eclipse. Folklore says people burn incense, pray, and beat drums to drive the creature away. Meanwhile, in the temple courtyard, children play freely, unaware of the celestial event and unaffected by the adults’ awe and tension.

 

By placing these three scenes side by side in a single work, Matsuyama highlights the wide range of human responses to the eclipse. Some see the unknown through faith, others explore the natural phenomenon with scientific curiosity, and some continue living their daily routines uninterrupted. Matsuyama’s setup reflects the Taiwanese society of the time, in which folk belief, knowledge, and daily life were closely connected.

 

Upon close inspection of the left side of the image, a visible seam where the prints were joined is apparent. This is not a production error. During a total solar eclipse, the sudden drop in light was too rapid for the photographic technology of that era to capture both the figures in the foreground and the background architecture in a single shot. To overcome this limitation, Matsuyama combined different images, essentially applying the cinematic technique of montage to still photography. This experimental method, which challenges strict realist norms, not only served as a technical test but also beautifully reflects the surreal, mythic quality of the “Celestial Dog swallowing the sun” legend.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

This exhibition, from the perspective of Taiwanese photographic history, reexamines the concept of “Minjian”—a term that feels familiar yet is highly complex.

 

“Minjian” represents more than folk customs or local traditions. It is a vibrant public space, collectively shaped by daily activities, community interactions, religious practices, and social events. Neither fully part of the official, institutional framework nor completely separate from it, “Minjian” stands as the most genuine expression of human life and social interaction.

The slash (/) in the exhibition title highlights the strong connection between “Minjian” and “photography.” Photography deeply influences our perception and understanding of “Minjian,” while “Minjian,” in turn, continually shapes how photographers view the world.

 

Since the era of Japanese rule, photography has evolved from merely documenting scenes to gradually shaping the “Minjian” as a collective visual experience. This was especially important during the post-war martial law era. While mainstream photography remained focused on formal and aesthetic expressions, many photographers chose to explore streets, markets, temples, and local communities. By closely observing folklore, faith, and daily life, they responded to social realities through seemingly ordinary scenes, gradually developing Taiwan’s distinctive documentary photography spirit.

 

Featuring photographers including Matsuyama Kenzo, Chang Tsai, Huang Tse-hsiu, Chang Chao-tang, Huang Yung-sung, Yao Meng-chia, Liang Cheng-chu, and Lin Bo-liang, this exhibition showcases not only their photographic prints but also a diverse collection of precious archival materials. These include work prints, manuscripts, magazine pages, and documentary films. By linking these documents with the artworks, we encourage viewers to see how an image transforms—from the moment of photography, through editing and publishing, to circulation—eventually becoming part of our shared memory.

 

Through these works, this exhibition foregrounds the fact that Taiwanese documentary photography is neither a static art style nor a simple imitation of foreign models. Instead, it is a historical formation—a continual dialogue with reality and a reflection of the era, shaped by the changing phases of colonial rule, post-war governance, and modernization.

Minjian / Photography: Documentary Vision and Its Realist Inflection

2026.07.18-11.15

｜Curator｜CHANG Shih-lun

｜Artists｜MATSUYAMA Kenzo, CHANG Tsai, HUANG Tse-hsiu, HUANG Yung-sung, YAO Meng-chia, CHANG Chao-tang, LIANG Cheng-chu, LIN Bo-liang

｜More Information｜https://ntcart.museum/exhibition_content.aspx?id=H2606003

Since its preparatory stage, the **New Taipei City Art Museum **has centered its research on constructing the art history of New Taipei, shaping a collection system rooted in local perspectives. Historically, New Taipei City has carried the trajectories of diverse ethnic groups—their migration, residency, and coexistence—layering into a rich tapestry of folk culture and cultural landscapes. Consequently, the concept of "the Folk" has become a vital dimension in the museum’s research and collection. Through this lens, we preserve the memories of the city's vibrant living scenes while documenting how art reflects, transforms, and cares for the pulses and echoes of the land.

"NTCAM Collection: Between Arts and Folk Cultures" features a curated selection of the museum’s folk-themed collections and extended works. Through three sections—Folk into Image, Ritual Scenes, and Observing the Human Condition—the exhibition presents artists' observations and interpretations of folk symbols, belief systems, and ritual settings.

The word "Between" in the title refers to the bridge spanning folk culture and the arts, denoting both a threshold and the act of crossing. Organized under these three sections, the gallery serves as a dock leading to historical sites. We invite visitors to linger and allow the artist to act as a guide through their works and creative visions, looking back together at the essence of the folk.

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NTCAM Collection: Between Arts and Folk Cultures

2026.05.09-08.02

Curatorial｜Research and Collection Department of NTCAM

Artists｜WU Wang-ju, HU Chia, GUO Dung-jung, LIAO Shiou-ping, YUAN Chin-taa, SO Yo-hen, LI Jiun-yang, LEE Shi-chi, PENG Hung-chih, SHEN Chao-liang