Asian Photo History

Foreword
Almost two centuries have passed since the invention of photography. Before then, human actions were written and recorded through works of paintings, objects, or texts. Thanks to photography, the technique deriving from chemical reactions through the effect of light which enables the images to adhere to a substance, the reproduction of what human eyes saw became possible. Moreover, along with technical improvements from the end of the 19th century through the 20th century, many photographers have contributed to creating photography as a new form of art, replacing paintings. Photography eventually became socially influential as it is interrelated with printing technology in the fields of journalism and advertisements, including newspapers, magazines, and news photos. Advancing digital technology since the beginning of the 21st century allowed anyone to take pictures. Nowadays through social media, we see countless pictures every day on our smartphones, from shiny, manipulated images to painful realities of wars or unfortunate events. In contemporary society, photography has become an integral form of media as one common means to represent human thoughts, sensitivity, and ethical values.

This collection exhibition focuses on the history of photography in Asian regions.
It is believed that photography was first introduced in Asia around 1850. At that time, photographers from Western countries eagerly went on photo-shooting trips to Asia, motivated by their desires to colonise the region. Western photographers objectified Asian people as the other, with exotic cultural backgrounds that are different from theirs. The dawn of history in photography in Asia can be described as “the history of transitioning viewpoint,” where they shifted from being “an object seen through the lens” to “a subjective who sees through the lens.” Taking photography is often inseparable from the desire to “capture the subject at this moment.” How did the photographers in Asia deal with such desires and the power structure as they hold the camera?
Looking closely on the relations of subject and photographer in the works from across Asia, the exhibition will offer a glimpse of the long history of photography in Asia. While taking considerations of our contemporary society where countless images overflow and disappear in front of our eyes, it hopes to offer viewers a chance to think about the act of “seeing” through by looking at the featured works of photography.

1. 1870s through 1890s／The Dawn of Photography in Asia
Following the invention of the first photography technique known as the “daguerreotype” in 1839 in France, photography became known in China and broader regions in Asia around the 1840s. Photography in Asia increasingly spread through colonization and trade. Moreover, the East India Company, established by Great Britain and the Netherlands, which worked for international trade and colonial rule, played a significant role at the time. Many paintings and photographs were made as exports targeting Western clients through East India Company and as souvenirs from their workers. Portraits, landscapes, and customs were chosen as subjects, reflecting an exoticizing gaze based on the preference of the Western audience. This chapter introduces some works from“The Company School” in India and “China Trade Paintings.”

2. 1930s through 1960s／Experimentation in Artistry through Photography
At the end of the 19th century, amid the technical innovations of the genre, some photography works were understood as a form of art, replacing paintings. Those refer to “pictorialism,” which aimed to establish the artistry of photography by imitating the image in paintings. In the early 20th century, photographers in Asia also began to explore photography as a form of “art,” incorporating Western trends at the time. We may understand that, through the perspective of the West, they worked to reconsider their own identities, traditions, or cultures from their home countries. This section focuses on the works of Lionel Wendt from Sri Lanka, Long Chinsan, and Chang Chao-Tang, who worked in Shanghai and Taiwan.

3．1970s through 1990s／Self-portrait as a Reflection on the Current Times
Since the invention of photography, self-portraits have gained universal attention. They especially attracted many in the art field after the 1970s, developing a wide range of styles, from self-images delving into one’s own identity to those questioning stereotypes pervading society. Photographers in Asia have also portrayed themselves as they attempted to reconsider the time and society they live in through objective ways. Works displayed in this chapter represent the artists themselves while questioning issues related to nationality, race, or relationships within a family.

４．1980s through 2000s／Photography as Documentations
Photography also plays a role as a witness of our time. It has captured the events or unwavering truth that once have been there. In Asia, especially after the 1980s, unstable conditions of society lasted for a long time, where specific regions faced harsh realities including but not limited to military dictatorship followed by resistance through democracy movements, side-effects of economic liberation and capitalism, divisions between urban cities and agricultural villages, and economic gaps among rich and poor. Some approached minorities or specific themes that might often get overlooked by mainstream society. This section introduces works featuring women of foreign roots in Okinawa who have long been portrayed by an artist, as well as other series of works capturing urban landscapes transformed by city development.

５. After the 2000s／Constructed Photography
Since the 2000s, artists and photographers around the world have moved or relocated to different places, leading human relationships and international networks of artists to become diversified and subdivided. Subjects of their works have also become wide range, from the broad context of society or history to one’s personal visions or familiar topics of everyday life. In photography expression, constructed photography has appeared in the scene where an imaginary world is represented on a staged set, visualizing the blurry boundaries of reality and fiction. It was a transformation of style, where the act of “shooting” became an act of “making” the vision on one’s own, where artists playfully reconsidered the reality or fictionality of the photography. Selected works of photography in this section are those made after the 2000s.

*This exhibition is rescheduled to start from October 31, 2024. Thank you for your understanding.