On the Job: Exhibit Opening at Temple’s Anthropology Lab & Museum

In October I had the chance to photograph “Contested Frames: Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples Confronting the Colonial Gaze” the very first public exhibit at the “new” Temple Anthropology Lab & Museum. It was one of those projects that stays with you long after you pack up your gear. This exhibition brought together photos, postcards, maps, artwork, and even an animated video to tell the story of Taiwan’s Indigenous communities and how they’ve pushed back against the way they were portrayed during colonial times.

The exhibit speaks directly to my photography heart. The raw power of photography is undeniable, but misusing that visual influence for propaganda and misinformation it something that I’m highly attuned to. The designers and curators of the exhibit did a wonderful job of guiding the viewer to witness the manipulation of images – from a pre-photoshop or AI age even – and their distortion of the true tory of Japanese colonialism in Taiwan.

If you’re in Philly, the exhibit runs through April 30 before it travels home to Taiwan. It’s absolutely worth experiencing in person.

For more information, visit: www.tuanthmuseum.com/contested-frames