Original Source:Interview with Taiwanese Photographer Pi-Lin Liu:"Textures of Time"

Written by: 市井康延

劉碧玲（Pi-Lin Liu）　https://www.pilinliuart.com

Taiwanese photographer Pi-Lin Liu, who held her solo photography exhibition "Textures of Time" at Gallery Place M in Shinjuku from March 2 to 15, 2026, has traveled to more than 60 countries around the world. "I understand time by walking, and I explore existence by seeing," she says. This exhibition is an attempt to capture and convey the present state of things within the passage of time. The photographs were taken with a digital camera, and all the prints were handmade by Liu herself using the platinum printing process.

Her first exhibition in Japan was decided after she was invited by Masato Seto of Place M during a portfolio review at "Photo One 2025" in Taipei. She exhibited five series at the Place M venue.

Exhibition View of Pi-Lin Liu's "Textures of Time" @ Place M (March 2–15, 2026)

One of the series captures a wild bird's nest (likely a little egret), tracking the journey from the eggs hatching to the chicks being born. She discovered the location near a mountain stream in 2017 while strolling through Pinglin, a suburb of Taipei.

"I went back there many times. The eggs would get stolen, and it wasn’t until the third year that I was finally able to capture it properly."

She produced three sets of a 16-piece series, two of which have already been purchased by a Taiwanese collector for $20,000 (approx. 3.15 million yen).

For Liu, traveling to the North and South Poles had a profound impact. Starting in 2018, she visited Alaska three times over the course of several years.

"The snow was decreasing year by year, and the glaciers were shrinking. I wanted to widely share their current state while also preserving it for the future."

She reacts to the landscapes she sees and captures them in photographs. Then, she reads into and interprets those photographs once again.

"I learned inkjet printing, of course, but I also studied silver gelatin printing and experimented with various alternative historical processes like cyanotype and collotype."

She began working with platinum printing in 2018, studying under Chi-Feng Tseng, a professional darkroom craftsman. At the same time, she also mastered digital image processing technologies.

"With platinum printing, depicting the transition from white to light gray—like in clouds—is very difficult. It took me over two years to finally create digital negatives that could properly express those gradations."

She notes that formulating the chemicals used as the photosensitive agent and mastering the coating technique were also challenging, taking about five years to perfect.

"I feel that my photographs possess a sense of tranquility and an introspective atmosphere. The texture inherent in platinum prints draws out that worldview even further. Of course, its durability—lasting for hundreds of years if preserved properly—was also a major appeal."

An ultraviolet light source is used during printing. Her partner, who designed her studio, custom-built her very first exposure unit for her.

A handmade photography book featuring platinum prints was also on display at the venue.

She explores every single step of the process thoroughly on her own, without cutting any corners. This meticulous approach may stem from her unique career background.

During her student days, she majored in fashion design and later worked as a Chinese ethnic dance instructor and a fashion designer. After getting married, she worked as a buyer for an importing firm of high-end lighting brands managed by her husband.

"In my private life, I have been painting with oils for over 20 years and always loved visiting art museums all across Europe. In a German museum, I saw a truly beautiful piece of platinum print work. It was a small collection of five pieces, but looking back, I feel that experience paved the way for my future studies."

After leaving her job in 2012, she began traveling freely and started taking photographs. The following year, she began studying under the photographer Min-Hsiung Tseng.

Taiwan is surrounded by numerous islands, including uninhabited ones. She wondered if these islands would face the risk of being submerged in the future due to global warming.

"I wanted to see what these islands look like from above right now, so I captured them using a drone."

"Can Humans Triumph Over Nature?" © Pi-Lin Liu

She acquired the equipment seven years ago and learned how to operate it both in Taiwan and in Hokkaido, Japan. The drone she uses now is a recent DJI model equipped with a Hasselblad lens, which is already her fourth machine.

In 2019, she opened a studio (Taipei Hanguanghang Photography Studio) with four other members to produce platinum prints. In 2025, she also launched WHITECROW GALLERY, where they began hosting exhibitions for the studio members.

Now, she is turning her gaze inward toward her homeland, beginning to photograph Taiwan's own culture, traditions, and landscapes. As she traces rivers on foot toward the sea, she is currently exploring what new insights will reveal themselves along the way.

■ 劉碧玲（Pi-Lin Liu）

Website：https://www.pilinliuart.com

Instagram：PHOLENS Photography & Art

Studio：晗光行（WhiteCrow78 Studio）

Interview with Taiwanese Photographer Pi-Lin Liu:"Textures of Time"

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