Taiwan’s experimental images pioneer Chang Chao-tang dies at 81

Taiwan’s experimental images pioneer Chang Chao-tang dies at 81

Photographer Chang Chao-tang (張照堂), just one of the very first Taiwanese to discover experimental photography and filmmaking, passed absent on Tuesday night time in Taipei at the age of 81.

The images journal “Voices of Photography” (VOP) introduced the information on behalf of Chang’s family members on Facebook on Wednesday.

Born in New Taipei in 1943, Chang was launched to images in junior significant school when he borrowed a digicam from his brother.

Taiwan’s experimental images pioneer Chang Chao-tang dies at 81

File Picture: Peter Lo, Taipiei Situations

He was more impressed to go after the art in significant university just after attending a photography club led by Cheng Shang-hsi (鄭桑溪), one of the to start with documentary pictures artists in Taiwan.

Chang developed a enthusiasm for literature and art while a pupil at National Taiwan University, where by he learned about surrealism, existentialism, and modernism. These influences led to his experimental creations in afterwards a long time, the VOP explained.

In 1965, Chang and Cheng held a modern photography exhibition that includes their operates, which caught the public’s eye due to their departure from mainstream conventions.

Chang started functioning as a photojournalist at China Television Enterprise in 1968 and participated in the creation of numerous Tv set documentaries on unique subjects.

His performs gained him Golden Horse awards for ideal documentary and very best cinematography for documentary and Golden Bell Awards for very best cinematography and editing.

The shooting of “China Behind” (再見中國) in 1973 marked Chang’s prosperous enterprise into film generation. His other works involve “Woman of Wrath” (殺夫), “Tang Dynasty Attractive Male” (唐朝綺麗男) and “Last Teach to Tan Shui”(淡水最後列車), all shot in 1984.

Chang was awarded the Life span Achievement Award at the Golden Horse Movie Competition in 2022, which explained Chang as much more than a photography master who “has brought a profound, assorted and thorough influence on Taiwan arts”, the VOP said.

The way he shot movies influenced succeeding administrators this sort of as Chung Mong-hong (鍾孟宏), Huang Hsin-yao (黃信 堯), and Yang Li-chou (楊力州).

Furthermore, Chang is the only photographer to have gained the National Award for Arts and the National Cultural Award, in 1999 and 2011.

The Taiwan International Documentary Competition declared on Jan. 31 that Chang won its superb contribution award.

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