Doubleness: Photography by Chang Chien-Chi

Posted by Simply Jean under Museums/Heritage Galleries
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One may consider “doubleness” to just mean the duplication of an item while the Chinese may consider it to be an auspicious term. “Shuang Xi Ling Men”, as it is commonly said within the Chinese community almost anywhere in the world, is often used to signify that all things good come in pairs. Chang Chien-Chi, however, has a different idea of what it means.

As the visitors enter the gallery of his exhibits at the National Museum, they will be greeted with photographs of Vietnamese women and Taiwanese men seated next to each other. One may expect them to be happily married, but a closer look only painted pictures of anxiety, uncertainty and helplessness. These are photographs of Taiwanese men who have resorted to seeking Vietnamese wives, despite being advised that they will face shocks of differing cultures.

Chang goes on to tell stories of how people have been brought together through unconventional ways, including couples who have been chained together in mental asylums. This was done in the presumption that the less insane will improve the condition of the more insane through historical theories of “mental balancing”. The sad truth is, these people will be chained together for life and it gives an entirely different meaning to the term “till death do us part”.

Lastly, Chang presents the view of how doubleness can be shown not just as photographs of couples, but that of two environments arising when a member of the family becomes an immigrant in another country. Here, while the father – the breadwinner of a family, seeks better prospects in other countries like the United States, they are usually sorely missed by their family members back in China. The photographs of the father’s hardship and the family’s means to cope in his absence, couples to show the grey and the colours of having someone away from home for long periods of time.

Walking back to the first set of displays, I am only glad that I neither have to seek a foreign spouse as yet, nor will I be facing the prospect of leaving my family behind in the near future. However, as Singaporeans began their own exodus, it’s anyone’s guess whose photograph will be captured by Chang next.

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