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Gone and back again -- Han Chi-chieh
After being a popstar, Han Chi-chieh went to New York where he picked up photography. Now he's back in Taipei with his own show
By Chang Ju-ping
STAFF REPORTER
Sunday, Jul 01, 2001, Page 19
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Singing in the rain, by Han Chi-chieh.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TIVAC
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After five years of laying low in New York, former popstar Han Chi-chieh (韓志杰) is back with a stunning exhibit to show off his new skills as a photographer.
"I feel a lot more comfortable in New York, where I am not recognized and I am just one of the ordinary people," says Han, a former member of the Red Hot Boys (紅孩兒), Taiwan's version of the New Kids on the Block. Nonetheless, he lamented, some Taiwanese in New York would recognize him on the street as he went to and from the city's School of Visual Arts.
Han called it quits with the Red Hot Boys when he was 20, went on to complete his military service and then packed up for art school in New York. In this show, his first solo exhibition, Han proves to be a skilled photographer with a great instinct for capturing abstract poetic photos.
On view at the show are 24 photos Han took over the last year and a half, all of them shot in New York. Nine are regular street scene shots that one might take while strolling down Broadway, for example. The composition of these photos, however, is particularly sharp, focusing on lines from structural elements such as buildings and street crossings. The other 15 photos on exhibit are blurred, long exposure abstract pieces in beautiful bright colors, often against a dark background. These images are particularly successful in conveying a strong sense of atmosphere. There are jovial scenes of crowds celebrating New Year's Eve, and bleak, obscure scenes taken from airplane windows.
"Memory is blurry," says Han. "What you remember are feelings that words cannot convey. Feelings are abstract and that's what my photos are like -- abstract and dreamlike."
New York is busy, fashionable, bustling, ever changing and blurry to Han, and he shows the multifaceted sides of the city through his observant lens. "The themes are not important. What matters is your emotional reaction to the photos. How you feel about them. I discovered parts of New York that are not seen on postcards or in its past, and I try to keep the spirit of these places in my photos."
Art Notes:
What: Blurry: Han Chi-chieh photo exhibition (非清晰：韓志杰攝影作品展)
Where: Taiwan International Visual Arts Center (國際視覺藝術中心), 29, Ln.45, Liaoning St., Taipei (台北市遼寧街45巷29號)
When: Until July 12
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