From December 29, 2014 to January 16, 2015, “Fleeting Time - Wang Chuan’s Solo Photography Exhibition” will be presented at the Art Gallery of Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan. It launches an opening ceremony at 12:10 on December 29, and a lecture entitled “Fleeting Time – Ten Years of Practice and Thinking of Photography” will be held at the College of Art, Fu Jen Catholic University at 13:30.

From November 3, 2014 to June, 2015, the Art Gallery of Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan organized the project of “2014-2015 Series Exhibitions of Photographers from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong”, to invite five known photographers from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, including Chang Kuang-Ho, Wang Chuan, Chun Wai, Kang Taisheng, and Shen Chao-Liang, to present their works in thematic photographic exhibitions as well as the related lectures. The exhibit category covers multiple expressive and creative forms of photography, and integrates the presentation of cultural and life issues.

It has a history of only 180 years since photography was born in 1834, starting from the early silver photography it has now entered the digital image era, photography is no longer the termused in professional fields, but a necessity of life for everyone, the past documentary function of photography is replaced by diverse artistic creation, the relationship between art and people is developed so as to function as a literary creation, aesthetic education, appreciation and collection, etc., instead of a leisure activity. Photography is the art that is closest to real life, how to help the public to deeply understand photography is one of the key factors for the Art Gallery of Fu Jen Catholic University in curating the thematic exhibitions of the year.

The first exhibition of the series presents Associate Professor Chang Kuang-Ho from Shih Hsin University, who takes “Painting Flora” as the title to show advanced computer technology which scans the real and detailed appearance of plants; Wang Chuan, Associate Professor of CAFA takes “Fleeting Time” as the title, using photography to express a variety of concepts and cultural reflections; Chun Wai, teacher of HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education presents the “Under the Paradise - the Documentary of Manila Public Cemetery”; Kang Taisheng, Dean of the College of Art, Fu Jen Catholic University takes “Narration ‧ Land” as the title of the photographic exhibition, preferring realistic photography to real life; Shen Chao-Liang, the artist-in-residence of the National Central University takes the “Stage” as the theme to induce the viewer to imagine the unique entertainment culture of Taiwan.

Kang Taisheng, Dean of the College of Art, Fu Jen Catholic University said, the series of exhibitions of photographers spend two years from the initial idea to presentation, and the main difficulty was the lack of funding, because it needed to ship the photographic works to Taiwan far from China and Hong Kong, in addition to the cost of the constant connections, and it was eventually finished with the support of fund-raising. Kang Taisheng hoped that through “The Art Gallery of Fu Jen Catholic University” to offer an opportunity to learn from each other along with the universities in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in the field of art, meanwhile there is a yearning for further cooperation, therefore it actively planned a series of exhibitions, and also offered the students a platform to improve their aesthetics and art cultivation after school.

About the Curating

CAFA in Beijing is the top art academy in Mainland China. I visited the school and concluded the agreement of a sister school relation on behalf of our school in 2013, and talked happily with Professor Wang Chuan, Deputy Dean of the School of Design, CAFA, who leads the photography courses at the school, from his works and creative concept, we can see the appearance of works by the Chinese backbone photographer, which is the main reason why the Art Gallery of Fu Jen Catholic University invites the artist to present his works.

Wang Chuan’s exhibition is entitled “Fleeting Time”, the idea of the work is originated from the cultural identity and the experience of everyday life. The viewer can see the collage effect of “pixels”, as a surreal illusion which is the artist’s thinking and reflection of photographic media which has changed from traditional “particle” to digital “pixel”; at the same time, in terms of display, using the most simple way (abandoning the frame) to reinforce the power of image, and using group works to replace the display of one piece, in an attempt to enhance the dialogue of the work and continuity.

Fleeting Time

I have studied painting since my childhood which makes me accustomed to “go out”, because I was often told that all things outside were crucial for both studying painting and personal growth. In the era of sketching, the world is transferred to paper through the system composed of eyes, brains, hands while also remaining in my memory. Later I slowly understood that drawing is not the memory and presentation of the real world but my own trajectory. The system has been reduced as it started with the camera with a film and now it is a digital camera. It is instead by the new system of eye - brain - machine (including a computer). The photographic system seems to encourage people to “go out”, because it is good at “bringing back”. Today, the problems are what to bring, bring to who, how to bring?Today, this system is almostseeing itself.

Since 2008, my research and practice in photography has considered the whole as more closely associated than ever before, which is a simpler structure:

Firstly, personal knowledge and reaction to the outside world, is the object, content and creative motivation;

Secondly, the constant individual rethinking of photography has contributed to a continual experiment in language.

I am the same as other people at my age, at the beginning I was ambiguously maintaining a lukewarm relationship with Chinese tradition and local culture, but with time it has become a strong love knot, which becomes stronger and stronger as time goes by. So, from the “Beijing Pixels” to “8 Great Sites of Beijing”, from “Re-Refocus: Dragon”, to “Colorful”, my theme has always focused on the existence of Chinese traditions, mutation and disappearance in real life. Meanwhile, I am interested in the basic structure and order of the pure digital image, which takes me a long time to discover its basic visual features, because it is very different from the traditional silver imaging, and there is a problem of how to connect it with the visual experience built on the basis of direct observation, painting and simulated reproduction. This part of the effort is both about the visual language, and involves the medium itself. It is a problem worthy of persistent discussion.

The photographic medium synchronically develops together with all the social, geographical, cultural, environmental changes and evolution, while they have a mutual mapping relationship. This knowledge makes me firmly and enjoyably explore the “pixel”, “pixilated image”. After extracting the details from an image, the viewer’s vision drifts to the distant familiar uncertainty, while it forms a visual matching between the contradictions in the mixture of the precise and fuzzy. For me it is a visual style of the characteristics of the era.

About the Artist

1967 Born in Beijing, Now Vice Dean of School of Design, CAFA; Associate Professor of Department of Photography

1990 Graduated from the Central Academy of Art and Design, with a BA degree

2000 Graduated from Grifth University, Australia,with a MAVA degree

Selected Exhibitions

2014 “Future Returns: Contemporary Art from China”, Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, USA

2013 “Colorful” Wang ChuanSolo Exhibition, Pekin Fine Arts, Beijing, China

2013 “Miraculous Brightness and After Miraculous Brightness” Thematic Exhibition of Beijing Photography Biennale, the China Millennium Monument, Beijing, China

2012 “Chinese Landscape - Chinese Contemporary Photography Exhibition”, Wolfson Gallery at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

2011 Wang Chuan Photo Solo Exhibit, Epsite, Shanghai, China

2011 China Refocus: Dragon Solo Exhibit, Pekin Fine Arts, Beijing, China

2010 Open Frame – New Landscape Photography From China, YAVUZ Fine Art, Singapore

2010 Photo Beijing, Beijing, China

2009 Beijing Pixels, Gallery 49, Beijing, China

2009 8 Great Sites of Beijing, Pekin Fine Arts Gallery, Beijing, China; Hong Kong Art Fair, Hong Kong, China;Art Beijing, Beijing, China;Chongqing International Art Festival, ChongQing, China

2008 Supernatural - China’s Contemporary Photography, Artgate Gallery, NY, USA

2007 “The 3rd International Lianzhou Photo Festival”, Lianzhou, Guangdong, China

2005 Chance Encounters, Brisbane, Australia

About the Exhibition

Duration: November, 2014 – June, 2015

8:00 am – 5:00 pm, from Monday to Friday (closes on Saturday and Sunday)

Venue: Ground floor Art Gallery atthe College of Art, Fu Jen Catholic University

Lecture Registration | Exhibition and Lecture Time please see website: http://www.finearts.fju.edu.tw/gallery/.

Photo and text courtesy of the artist, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO.