Chien-Chi Chang

American, b. Taiwan 1961

Alienation and connection are the subjects of much of Chien-Chi Chang's work. These themes surface particularly in The Chain, a collection of portraits made in a Taiwanese mental institution. An exhibition of these nearly life-sized photographs has toured internationally and been exhibited at venues including the Venice Biennale and the Biennal de São Paulo.

In two other books, Chang takes a jaundiced look at marital unions. I do I do I do is a collection of images depicting alienated grooms and lonely brides, while Chang's most recent publication, Double Happiness, is an examination of arranged marriages between Vietnamese country girls and older Taiwanese men. His investigation of the ties that bind one person to another - and to society - draws on his own immigrant experience. Born in Taiwan in 1961 he is now an American citizen.

Chang joined Magnum Photos in 1995. He lives and works in Taipei and New York City.



Education

1990 M.S., Education, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
1984 B.A., English Literature, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan

Awards

2003 First Place, Best of Photography Book (The Chain), Pictures of the Year International,
USA
1999 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund for Humanistic Photography, USA
1998 Magazine Photographer of the Year, National Press Photographers Association, USA
1999 Visa d’Or, Visa Pour L’image, Perpignan, France
1998 First Place, Daily Life, World Press Photo, the Netherlands

Exhibitions

2008 National Museum of Singapore, Singapore
2006 Columbus Museum of Arts, Columbus, Ohio, USA
2004 Ffotogallery, Cardiff, UK
2004 Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA
2003 International Center of Photography Triennial, New York, USA
2002 Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil
2001 Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy
2001 Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
1999 The Alternative Museum, New York, USA
1994 Southstreet Seaport Museum, New York, USA

Books

2006 I Grandi Fotografi di Magnum Photos (Chien-Chi Chang), Hachette, France
2005 Double Happiness, Aperture, USA
2002 The Chain, Trolley, UK
2001 I do I do I do, Premier Foundation, Taiwan