The More We Get Together 2: Strike Back, 1991, giclée print, 150 by 225 cm. Courtesy of the artist.
The More We Get Together 3: Before the Protest, 1989, giclée print, 150 by 225 cm, Courtesy of the artist.
Over the course of his career as a photojournalist, Hsu Tsun-Hsu has documented Taiwan’s turbulent social changes and progress as a democracy. Currently based in Taipei, Hsu worked at China Times for eighteen years beginning in 1988, the year after martial law ended in Taiwan. The Taipei Biennial 2023 features The More We Get Together, a collection of photographs Hsu took between 1988 and 1998, a decade of unpredictable moments and pivotal events. Though Taiwan was still ruled by an authoritarian regime and a conservative political party, its society was charged with disruptive energy. During this era, it became possible to say things that had previously been unsayable, and to stage raucous demonstrations that were previously impermissible. It was a time of progress and confusion: protesters from every political perspective clashed with the system, doing what was necessary to become a democratic country.
The photographs Hsu selected for The More We Get Together capture moments ranging from the misfit and banal to the historic and transformative. The images exemplify the originality and aptness of Hsu’s gaze as well as his eye for social absurdity. A timely reflection on the past tensions that shaped the moment we are currently living through, The More We Get Together offers historical context for speculations about the precarious future ahead.
