This installation is at the heart of Ming-Chang's PhD thesis. He sees his practice-based project as an opportunity to achieve a balance between research and practice.
"In my project, I consider not only the making and substance of the artworks themselves, but also the space in which they exist. For me the exhibition is an entirety. I am interested in occupying the space beyond the conventional exhibition space, creating spaces in which the viewer moves and experiences the feeling of exile, memory and loss.
The installation sets the photographic work within a context of a metaphorical journey, a trajectory from an empty room through space to a sequence of galleries presenting themes of anxiety and loss, within the context of the imagined return.
The photographic works are the main point in this installation. The diptych form in the photographic works is used to provide opportunities of separate locations joined in the overlapping self-portraits, giving the possibility of a visual comparison between two confronting images, and also, using the diptych to connect to the family, childhood and homeland.
Ming-Chang Tien is a PhD candidate in University of Brighton. He has taught in Universities as a lecturer for five years in Taiwan and has lived the United Kingdom for four years. He has had several solo and group exhibitions in Taiwan.
Ming-Chang Tien was born in 1967 in a small town, Su-Ao, in Taiwan. He has lived in this town for 18 years. However, after going to study in the University in Taipei in 1985, he did not return to live in his hometown and he became an exile.
Closed 30 August Bank Holiday
