Transformers: Taiwan photographer holds mobile 'Stage' show in India

New Delhi, July 5 (CNA) An exhibition of works by Taiwanese photographer Shen Chao-liang (沈昭良) showcasing the unique beauty of Taiwan's mobile show stage trailers is currently being shown at India's Museo Camera in Gurugram, Haryana.

Officially called "Taiwan Focus: 'Stage' Shen Chao-liang Photography Exhibition," the show runs from July 3-28 and features works from the photographer's "Stage" (舞台車) photo series, taken around Taiwan from 2005-2023.

During those years, Shen traveled across Taiwan to capture images of mobile show stages that are used locally for celebratory performances during temple festivals and personal events.

Cultural similarities

The photographer told CNA at the event's official opening that since creating the Stage photo series, he has long hoped to exhibit it in India, after observing striking similarities between the two countries in the way they use mobile hardware for celebrations and grassroots aesthetics.

Shen said he made this discovery after visiting Old Delhi, where he enjoyed traditional Indian music and dance performances.

Based on his experience, he explained, in both Taiwan and India, religious celebrations and folk activities take to the streets and tend to incorporate multiple vibrant visual elements that are spontaneously crafted together.

These daily expressions of culture and tradition not only reflect the lifestyles of local people, they also introduce aesthetic characteristics accumulated over time in the different societies, he said.

Transformers: Show stage in disguise

On the subject matter of his Stage series, Shen said what are colloquially called the "Transformers of Taiwan" are not simply mobile show stages, but also symbolic transporters of regional culture.

The dazzling lights, vibrant colors, and diverse graphic decorations of the trailers fully demonstrate the vigorous creativity of Taiwanese grassroots culture, he said.

Although originally used for folk entertainment, the stage trailers have gradually been adopted for use at religious ceremonies, weddings, funerals, and local festivals, which has further developed them into an important cultural phenomenon that blends together entertainment, ritual, and social functions, he added.

Enjoying local aesthetics

The artist said he hopes Indian audiences will gain a better understanding of Taiwan's celebratory temple culture and rural fairs from his solo exhibition.

Through the Stage series, he seeks to show Indian audiences how Taiwan has developed its own culture, memories, and unique aesthetic through religion, celebrations and collective activities.

Shen said many folk traditions from both countries were born from the earth, "grown from the very land" which cultivated their respective peoples.

The aesthetics from such folk cultures then get preserved or continued through religion and history. Thus, both Taiwan and India retain strong folk cultural characteristics that demonstrate the profound and close connections between the earth and its people, he said.

The connection was not deliberate, but rather formed naturally through life and was subsequently preserved over time, according to Shen.

Both Taiwan's mobile stage culture and India's various celebrations involve transportable hardware such as floats which serve as examples of human ingenuity, and also showcase the tenacity of human cultural advancement.

Shen said the Indian leg of the Stage exhibition not only presents the mobile stage trailers of Taiwan, but also aims to shine a light on the neighborhoods they entertain, such as the streets, communities, groups, and the various festivals they take part in.

"Photography is not simply recording; it is also a medium to further examine society," Shen said. "We are given the opportunity to understand and comprehend a particular era through photography, such as the political, economic, or social transformations of a certain time in history."