This documentary project explores coming-of-age for Taiwanese grappling with their dreams, the construction of their identity, and geopolitical events.

I visited my cousins in the aftermath of the earthquake of 2 April, 2024. In the space of a month, the island had experienced more than 1,000 aftershocks. This unusual instability of the earth echoed the diplomatic blurring of internationals relations.

This long-term project highlights the nuances and complexities of the Taiwanese situation. It follows people of different regions into adulthood including my cousin who will soon be serving in the military. I am interested in how the current political situation influences their sensibilities and the construction of identities.

Reviewing the submissions to CENTER’s Project Development Grant, I was both inspired by the range and ingenuity of contemporary photography and sobered by the ever-increasing importance of awards like these that offer material support to artists. Dozens of strong projects have stayed with me, including the poignant archival excavations of Eri Morita’s Unknown Flame, the sharp humor and cinematic sweep of Jeremy Dennis’s Rise, and the innovative portrait of a historically Black neighborhood portrayed in Jamil Baldwin’s ongoing Fieldnotes. 

Ultimately, I selected Chloé.A’s Yellow tiger on blue background, a thoughtful project on Taiwanese in-betweenness reflecting the political state of the island. I valued the clarity of her plan to complete the project and thorough understanding of the challenges of doing so. But even more, I was struck by the casual beauty and intimacy of her images, which communicate the strangeness and mundanity of daily existence for her cousins, whose lives move forward within what the artist calls Taiwan’s state of “continual suspension.” I eagerly anticipate her completion of this project, and its sensitive portrayal of young men working their way into their own uncertain future, as well as that of their home.

– Kristen Gaylord • Herzfeld Curator of Photography and Media Arts, Milwaukee Art Museum

Photography, performance, installation. Size varying from 15x20cm to 80x120cm. Exhibition will include an objects installation.