"Reflection"- WANG Ding-Yuan Solo Exhibition
Dates: Sun 19 Apr - 10 May 2026
Opening Reception: Sun 19 Apr, 14:00~
Artist: WANG Ding-Yuan
Venue: One Station (next to Hsinchu Xiangshan Station)
https://www.facebook.com/HsinchuXiangshan
Can You, as Human, Feel an Animal's Pain?
Join us on April 19 for the opening of One Station's new artist program featuring WANG Ding-Yuan. Through his exquisitely nuanced lens, witness a profound, critical, and philosophical meditation on the stark realities of animal captivity in Taiwan's zoos.
Statement
WANG Ding-Yuan’s photographic exhibitions center on animal rights, using carefully constructed imagery to evoke deeper reflection on environmental sustainability and respect for life. This exhibition brings together years of Wang’s artistic practice and presents The Taiwan Edinburgh Zoo Project series, which responds to contemporary issues of animal captivity and environmental sustainability through a critical and philosophical perspective. Using photography as his medium, Wang combines personal life experiences with international animal rights concepts to construct a dialogue between visual imagery and the human mind.
The exhibition was inspired by the Edinburgh Zoo in the UK, which chose not to keep elephants in captivity. The zoo replaced real elephants with sculptures and publicly explained that they could not provide the natural migratory environment elephants require, therefore choosing not to keep them. This concept of “negative captivity” deeply influenced Wang and led him to reflect on the situation of zoos in Taiwan and human attitudes toward animals. He visited zoos across Taiwan, photographing animal enclosures and spatial lighting, then digitally added model animals in post-production to create surreal images that blur the line between reality and fiction, prompting viewers to reflect through a sense of familiarity and estrangement.
Wang’s artistic development did not happen overnight. Earlier works such as The Blue That Remains in My Heart Is What You See and the Black Hole series already demonstrated his concern for the psychological state of captive animals. Through cool color tones and the capture of repetitive behaviors, he revealed the loneliness and psychological oppression animals endure in captivity. These works are not only visual representations but also emotional and ethical statements addressing the invisible violence humans impose on animals.
About WANG Ding-Yuan
Born in Taipei in 1978, WANG Ding-Yuan received his M.F.A. from the Department of Fine Arts at National Taiwan University of Arts. He has long been dedicated to photographic art creation and education. He currently serves as an adjunct lecturer at Oriental Institute of Technology and teaches photography courses and advises photography clubs at several high schools and universities, including Taipei Municipal Zhongshan Girls High School, actively promoting visual and photography education. His work focuses on portraiture, everyday observation, and photographic narrative. His representative series The Glow on the Face and The Taiwan Edinburgh Zoo Project have received wide attention.
His works have been exhibited at the National Center of Photography and Images, You Zhang Art Museum of National Taiwan University of Arts, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, and other venues. He has also participated in numerous important domestic and international exhibitions. His works have received multiple international awards, including several honors from the International Photography Awards (IPA) and the First Prize of the TIVCA Photography Award at the Taipei Art Photo Show. He continues to deepen his photographic practice through both artistic creation and teaching.
Organizer: One Station of Transdisciplinary Art
Sponsor: National Culture and Arts Foundation
Pacific Construction Co., Ltd.