Chien-Wen Lin

He is born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1987, graduated from SVA's (School of Visual Art) MPS (Master of Professional Study) in Fashion Photography in New York and majored in SCCD (Shih Chien Communication of Design) in Taiwan. He is a photographer, director, and DJ.

Upon returning to Taiwan after his graduation from SVA, he co-founded MW Studio TW with another photographer named Manbo in 2017. Chien-Wen Lin is skilled at using everyday materials in his work and is no stranger to the world of fashion magazines. His works are commonly featured in publications such as Vogue TW, Marie Claire, MilkX TW & Milk HK, and Numero China. He has long been immersed in Taiwan's underground electronic music scene and incorporates subcultural symbols observed at parties into his video works. Furthermore, he experiments with auditory creations as a DJ, offering a different dimension to his artistic portfolio.

From the documentary "Paris is Burning," Chien-Wen gained a deeper understanding of the Ballroom culture in 1980s New York and the concept of queerness. This has had a significant influence on his core creative ideas and has reflected inwardly on the diversity of his fluid self-identity. Externally, he contemplates the marginalization and challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community in Taiwanese society due to their gender identity. Through his recent image creations, he has attempted to explore the fluid qualities and marginality from queerness.

During the two years of the pandemic, when it was difficult to travel abroad, Lin focused on observing his home country and captured images more meticulously of people, events, and objects that stand out or seem out of place. These individuals and things, being outcasts, are not restricted or identified by mainstream society. Through his lens, their unique beauty and rich colors shine under various spectrums. The more marginal they are, the more beautiful they become.

Most of Chien-Wen Lin's works are displayed through the cumulative passage of time. By breaking up the sequence of shooting and selecting suitable images for exhibitions or printings in magazines, he explores the diversity and beauty of the edges. Lin's two series of his photography based on the watershed year of 2019. “Fringe Taiwan” showcases his daily life after 2019 and depicts the colors of Taiwan's contemporary queer scene. “All Stories Begin from Chaos”, on the other hand, attempts to categorize, juxtapose, and reshuffle pre-2019 photos into visual creations, tracing the origins of his photography.

Educational Background

  • MPS in School of Visual Art Fashion Photography Department, New York,  U.S.A. (2015)

  • Bachelor in 3D Animation Design at  Department of Communications Design, Shih Chien University, Taipei City, Taiwan (2012)

 Achievements

  • 2023

    • Published "Find Your Category" photography and fashion film works on Marie Claire Taiwan in June Pride 2023.

    2022

    • Photography works collected in the initial issue of Korea contemporary photography magazine "CHALKAK."

    • Directed live photography visuals for artist Betty Apple's performance "Day for Night 2022" in Sydney, Australia, as part of the Liveworks Program.

    • Directed live photography visuals for artist Betty Apple's performance "Melbourne Fringe 2022" in Melbourne, Australia, as part of the IT-ME TIME Traveller Beta Live x Social Dis Dance event.

    • Participated in the Chien-Wen Lin and Manbo Key group exhibition titled "Dance the Night Away" at P_L_A_C_E in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei, Taiwan.

    • An MW studio TW interview titled "The colorful Taiwan that we capture" was published in Apple Store Diary.

    • Photography works collected in "Pornceptual Magazine #5 - FLUIDS" under the series title "Suan6."

    • Photography works collected in "Vogue Taiwan AUG Cover Story" LGBTQ+ issue 2022, Taipei Taiwan, for A Tribute to Shiy De-jinn - Portraits of Contemporary Queer Groups.

    • Directed a short documentary campaign titled "Hue of Human" for Ball Room.

    2021

    2020

    • Collaborated with Taiwan queer scene as the director for the music video "找 Matched! " by the singer Amuyi, in collaboration with MW studio TW.

    2019

    • Photography works “All Stories begin form Chaos ” collected in "SHOUT IV."

    2017

    • Established MW studio TW, a visual art studio, with artist Manbo Key.

    2012

    • Won the golden prize at the 39 Hours Tainan Short Film Awards for the film "Day by Day" and participated in the "Berlin Interfilm Short Film Festival 2012."

    • Chien-Wen Lin published his first photography book titled "Things I Lost."