Simon Chang

Simon Chang (張雍) is a Taiwanese photographer based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. His work focuses on long-term documentary projects exploring identity, memory, and belonging across cultures. Since 2003, he has lived and worked in Europe, developing long-term projects between Taiwan and Central and Eastern Europe. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid), Taipei Fine Arts Museum, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Art Museum of China (Beijing), as well as Cankarjev dom (Ljubljana) and Belfast Photo Festival, where his project Shepherds and the Slaughterhouse received recognition. He is a three-time recipient of the Golden Tripod Awards in Taiwan. He collaborates with Galerija Fotografija and continues to develop long-term projects such as Dolls of the Valley and Na pol doma / 1/2 Hometown, alongside teaching and mentoring.

During my residency at MuseumsQuartier, I will continue working on two long-term projects that have been growing with me over the past years: Dolls of the Valley and A Short Biography: There is Not Enough Paper in the World for the Whole Thing. Both emerge from an ongoing curiosity about people whose stories are often unseen, and from a desire to approach them with time, respect, and attention.

Dolls of the Valley follows the drag community in Slovenia. I am drawn to the fragile space between performance and everyday life, where strength and vulnerability quietly coexist. In Vienna, I hope to expand this dialogue by connecting with the city’s queer communities, allowing different stories and experiences to meet and resonate.

The second project unfolds within a psychiatric institution in Slovenia, a place that has long remained out of sight. During my stay, I would also like to spend time at Museum Gugging to learn from the artists working there and to reflect on how creativity can exist beyond conventional structures.

Coming to Vienna with these two projects, I see the residency as a space of encounter—where different stories, backgrounds, and ways of living can gently meet. As a Taiwanese photographer based in Slovenia, I am interested in what happens in these encounters: how, at first glance, things may appear very different, yet over time, what we share begins to emerge.

During the residency, I will focus on editing, reflection, and finding ways to share these works with sensitivity and care.