CHANG
Ting Chen
 

The encounter with any family photo begins with a touch. This work attempts to go back to the exact moments with the people in the images: three unforgettable hugs with my mother as well as a younger version of myself joyfully extending my arms in front of the camera. Among the photos, one particular photo taken during a graduation trip in southern Taiwan captures my attention. My then-unmarried mother seated sideways elegantly, forming a contrast with a woman standing upright in the distance. These two unfamiliar images share the same photographic plane, creating an equal yet estranged feeling. Following the clues in the photo and interweaving the exotic atmosphere of that time, I arrive at the Amanda Hotel, situated in South Bay—an establishment named after a Greek goddess in a Moroccan style. “Who is Amanda, the goddess?” I asked. The front desk staff said "It's a business secret." Such an answer is as mysterious and elusive as the unidentified woman in the photo.