Finding the Quiet: Recent Images of Taiwan

Karen Serago received her Bachelors of Arts from Penn State University and holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Photography from Ohio State. Ms. Serago spent nearly a decade living in Taiwan and returns regularly to see family, visit familiar places, eat, and photograph. She is the author of "My other neighborhood" published by Ben Yu in 1997. It was through editing her book that she realized how the images reflected her personal journey and her search for a connection to her adopted home. She continues to look for meaning within a complex context.

The photographs presented in this exhibtion were taken two years ago in July, in Taipei, Dansui, Jinmen, and Lukang, names perhaps familiar only to Taiwanese or visitors to the island. Information about the location, Serago says, is secondary to what they represent. The images continue her search for connection, quietness, and meaning from a place filled with culturally specific signifiers. Content with the search itself, Serago is happy to leave questions like "what does this say? What does this mean? Why are there three cups drying outside?" unanswered. She is comfortable with the mystery and hidden meanings.

Inspired by a variety of photographers, from Andre Kertesz, Walker Evans and Robert Mapplethorpe to Lois Conner and Juliet Margaret Cameron, their influence is evidenced in her framing of landscapes, her choice of subjects, and her contemplative lens.

Ms. Serago's work will be on display from June 1st to June 27th. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the quiet for yourself.