[ GENERAL CONTACT ]

GENERAL QUESTIONS & COMMENTS:
Photo@PethanyChen.com

REPRESENTATIVE:
(MS. EGLE MENDOZA) emendoza@famsf.org

TAIWAN MAIL ADDRESS:
5F, No.57, Sec.3, Min-Sheng East Road, Taipei, Taiwan

REPRESENTATIVE MAIL ADDRESS:
262 State St., San Mateo, CA94401, U.S.A

This web site is designed by PETHANY DESIGN STUDIO

[ ARTIST STATEMENT ]

As an international photographer, I have been influenced by many different cultures. This helps me create a unique philosophy and angle in my work.

My photography is the reflection of my thoughts, my time, and my emotions, and also belongs to others who lived in the same time, had the same thoughts or the same emotions. People often ignore the life they live in because they focus on themselves too much. We drive through thousands of places everyday, and we are surrounded by millions of things every moment. It is easy to take everything for granted. I try to capture those forgotten moments of the nature, the life, the little elements, and the emotions. Strong color, balanced beauty, and realistic images are the important elements to compose my photos.

[ EDUCATION ]

JANUARY 2001 TO AUGUST 2003 - MASTER OF FINE ART
Academy of Art University, San Francisco
Major: Computer Art - New Media
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Digital Imaging, Web Design, Multimedia CD Design, Interface Design, Flash Game.

MAY 1999 to AUGUST 1999 - EXCHANGE STUDENT
San Francisco State University, San Francisco
Major: Computer Graphic Design (Exchange Student)
Location: San Francisco, California, USA
Digital Imaging, Graphic Design.

SEPTEMBER 1996 to JANUARY 2001 - BACHELOR OF FINE ART
Chung-Yuan University, Taiwan
Major: Commercial Art
Location: Chung-li, Taiwan
Photography, Drawing and Painting, Illustration, Graphic Design, Publishing, Advertising.

[ BIOGRAPHY ]

I was born in 1978 in Taipei, Taiwan. My family is running an international trade company, and therefore I have been traveling around the world with my father since the age of fifteen. The first time I touched a professional camera was at the age of seventeen when my brother was studying industrial design. I instantly fell in love with the feeling to freeze a moment in life with the camera. When I graduated from the high school, I bought myself a graduation gift - a Nikon FM10 camera with two Sigma lenses (from 28mm to 210mm). I have been traveling with it for several years, when in 2002 l decided to move my photos into the digital world. Unlike the traditional camera, the digital camera gives me preciseness, detail, sharpness, and vivid color.

In 2000, I relocated to San Francisco, California. I love the beauty and the multiple culture background of San Francisco. During these years, I started traveling around the US whenever I had some vacations time. I focused on three topics: "Land", "Window", and "American Life"; "Land" is for the beauty, difference, and changes of this land; "Window" is my emotional reflection. It was started from a time when I felt really depressed and locked up in US. I felt that I have a window in front of me isolating myself from the reality. I kept taking pictures thought windows more or less unknowingly. When I arranged all the photos together, then I realized I had a subject coming out from my sub-consciousness. The most representative "Window" photo is "Locked in SF"; "American Life" is my personal view of living in the US. I use my unique cultural angle to look into this "New Mainland". I try to understand and point out the American way and American life essence.

Written by Pethany in 2004

[ REVIEWS ]

NOVEMBER 2004 - [SANTA MONICA MUSEUM OF ART] MODERN ART MUSEUM
November 29, 2004
I enjoyed reviewing LAND.WINDOW.AMERICA and find the series beautiful and accomplished. I genuinely appreciated the perspective on American geography.
By Lisa Melandri

MAY 2004 - [SF WEEKLY] LOCAL NEWSPAPER
Volume 23 | Number 14 | Page 26 & 27|
May 5 to 11, 2004
[Night & Day] section - Monday, May 10, 2004
From now on we're going to insist that photographer Pethany P. Chen come along on every road trip we take, because -- judging from the acumen she displays in the exhibition "Land . Window . America" -- this is a traveler who knows when to yell, "Oooh, look at that!" Chen's show incorporates the magnificent shots she's taken on her worldwide travels, images far removed from typical tourist snaps. Instead of photographing the Golden Gate Bridge or the view from Coit Tower, for example, Chen finds unexpected and unexpectedly beautiful views of parking lots and trash cans. Similarly, her Las Vegas work is more likely to contain slouching, weary slot jockeys than vivid neon, and her landscapes, often taken out of car windows, depict the desolate yet stunning vistas most people drive past without a second glance. Take a look today starting at 9 a.m. (the exhibit runs through Wednesday) at the S.F. Black & White Gallery.
By Joyce Slaton & Hiya Awanhuyser

[ INTERVIEWS ]

SEPTEMBER 2005 - [EGLE MENDOZA] REPRESENTATIVE

Egle: When did you first start taking photos as a photographer?
Pethany: When I graduated from high school at the age of eighteen, I bought myself a graduation gift - a Nikon FM10 camera with two Sigma lenses (from 28mm to 210mm). It was my first professional camera. I took the first photography trip to a village in the mountains immediately. I had a friend accompanying me on this trip, and we took pictures all around the village. This was my first time taking pictures as a photographer.

Egle: What inspired you to become a photographer?
Pethany: The first time I touched a professional camera was at the age of seventeen when my brother was studying industrial design. I played with his camera a few of times and started to grow an interest in photography. Since then, I have continually taken pictures wherever I went. What really inspired me was a commercial photography class I took in my sophomore year. The beauty and professional spirits in the commercial photography had really touched me. I realized that as a photographer I could present a lot of ideas through such a small window. I behold the magic to isolate the reality from the photo and present only what I see in my eyes. It is a great power.

Egle: Who or what inspires you the most?
Pethany: National Geography magazine inspires me the most. The power and beauty of images in National Geography magazine are strong messages that move its readers, of which I am one. Through images, they send important concerns, personal experiences, or controversial issues to the readers. Sometimes, an image can be much more persuasive than any article.

Egle: What makes you want to take photos?
Pethany: I am deeply in love with the feeling of freezing a moment in life with the camera. To capture a moment of what I see, what I feel, and what I think, and share it with other people. Due to the imperfection of human eyes, I'm never really sure how photos will come out exactly. Taking a photo is like an adventure. A lot of times, the result after the click can really amaze me. Experiencing those moments is why I want to take photos.

Egle: Do you enjoy taking most of the photos?
Pethany: Yes, I do. I really enjoy the click sound when I capture a moment; even if the click has turned into a digital sound today. Every time I take a photo I feel like catching time in my hand. All the sudden, Einstein's time theory is not so threatening. However, sometimes taking photos can also
attract too much attention from people, and that makes me a little embarrassed or uncomfortable.

Egle: Do you have any advice for young starters?
Pethany: If there were any, I would say that to be a photographer you must hold out to be one and keep pushing yourself to do more. It is impossible to continue in this area if there is no any insistence in you. As a photographer or any other type of artist, you will always meet a lot of challenges, either within yourself or in the world surrounding you. In order to conquer all these challenges you must insist on doing photography, and know what you are doing and where you are headed.