In retrospect, the emergence of photography has not only rewritten humans’ perspectives but also influenced literary writing. Photos can be more than just a window that reflects reality but, at the same time, a space that houses creativity and imagination. Books, a symbol of humans’ thoughts and civilization, started showcasing a new relationship between images and texts, while perspectives of cameras also appeared in works of literature. A Gentle Breeze invites five contemporary writers to step into the viewing of images and the practice of exhibition from the perspective of literature. As texts and images complement each other, the abstract understanding of reading metamorphosizes into sensuous intuition. This process turns both viewing and reading into a unique experience and demonstrates possibilities of dialogue between the history of photography and its connection to memory. Texts, photography, and writing spark the existential meaning of symbiosis, guiding the reading of images towards changing aesthetics. This exhibition section can thus be interpreted as a resonance between photography and literature, revealing the subtlety of human nature and the true meaning of life through the act of writing.
Sol Yang was born in Wanhua and raised in Yonghe. She is the second generation of migrants from rural areas to cities. Sol Yang has strong affection for her parents’ hometown Yunlin, referring to herself as a Yunlin person in Taipei. Sol Yang was a reporter for China Times and investigated issues at the bottom of Taiwanese society. Later she published two books of essays, The Happiness of Evil and My Gambler Dad. Sol Yang’s maxim is Anton Chekhov’s quote, “A writer has the right and responsibility to enrich his work with what life provides him. Without the intertwinement of reality and fictionality, literature becomes sterile and dies.”