Undercurrent

"Undercurrent" is a photographic project I undertook in the Zengwen River basin in southern Taiwan. My aim was to explore the deeper layers of Taiwanese folk beliefs, uncovering the spiritual traces that persist but are gradually fading amidst modernization.

In the rituals, “tâng-ki” (spirit mediums) invites a deity to possess their body, wielding ritual implements to slash and strike themselves, oblivious to pain in a trance-like state. The blood flowing from their wounds summons unseen warriors, warding off the ever-shifting Zengwen River—once known as the "Blind Serpent"—whose course has changed multiple times over centuries. Through this act, the ritual seeks to soothe the scars and wounds imprinted in collective memory.

During the shooting process, I couldn't help but recall the various times my own life changed course, feeling a subtle pain in my body and mind. It was then that I realized I was witnessing the collective scar tissue of the Taiwanese people: generational pain transformed into faith, becoming spiritual scars, and proliferating after healing. Through these rituals, people pray to unseen spirits, strengthening their bonds with each other. The everyday life on the river's surface and the spiritual undercurrents beneath coexist in a state of both madness and harmony.

I am profoundly moved by the resilient and gentle beauty inherent to the Taiwanese people, despite the uncertainty of the future.