Agnes Liao is Artistic Director of UP Gallery, Taiwan's sole gallery dedicated to showcasing photography and moving images. We spoke with the Sotheby’s Institute alumna about UP Gallery’s forthcoming exhibition at Photo London 2024 and how the gallery has developed its presence in Taiwan and beyond.
What motivated you to pursue an MA at Sotheby’s Institute?
I've always had a passion for the arts, but being born and raised in Taiwan, pursuing a business major seemed like the most practical career choice. I earned a bachelor's degree in international business, but my perspective shifted drastically when I spent a year abroad at California State University, Sacramento.
While there, I took the liberty of enrolling in art history courses and an art gallery management course taught by Professor Phil Hitchcock, the founding director of the Library Gallery at Sac State. It was Professor Hitchcock who introduced me to Sotheby's Institute and sparked my interest in the possibility of bridging the gap between the commercial aspect of art and art itself.
Looking back, how did the MA Photography program at Sotheby’s Institute equip you with the tools and knowledge to navigate the art industry?
The MA Photography program was rigorous, but the hard work laid a strong foundation for my career. There were two crucial elements of the program that have been instrumental in building my career.
Firstly, it gave me a deep understanding of photography history and theory, which have served as guiding principles in selecting artists for representation at the gallery. Given that our gallery operates in the primary art market, having a robust exhibition program and representing the right artists is what distinguishes us from other galleries.
Secondly, the program facilitated connections and taught us to be resourceful within the industry. We were introduced to the industry climate through meaningful study trips, guest lectures, and events . Having access to specialists in the field has been instrumental in driving the gallery's success.
Can you give an overview of the history and significance of UP Gallery in the Taiwanese art scene?
UP Gallery was founded in 2009 during a time when the public's acceptance of photography as art was limited and galleries showed little interest in exhibiting the medium due to the absence of an established market. Yichia Liao, the founder, and a photographer himself, aimed to create a platform and a space where photography could truly flourish. At the time, there were few galleries in Taiwan dedicated solely to showcasing lens-based works and we have been actively thriving since our establishment.
While we represent artists from around the globe, we place an emphasis on nurturing emerging talents from the Asia region. We also pride ourselves on being one of the first galleries with the capability to guide these lens-based artists into the international art scene. By strategically positioning them within art fairs, institutions, and museums, we ensure their presence and recognition in the art world.
As UP Gallery returns to Photo London this year, what are your goals for the gallery's participation? What can attendees expect from your exhibit this year?
Our inaugural participation in Photo London was in 2019, but unfortunately, due to the onset of Covid, we experienced a three-year hiatus until rejoining last year. Throughout this time, our primary objective remained consistent: to forge stronger connections with European collectors while simultaneously introducing compelling works from Asia to a wider audience.
This year, we have opted for a solo booth to spotlight a very special talent – an artist from Taiwan whom we have been collaborating with for some time. We are confident that attendees will be captivated, as we will be showcasing seven unique works, six of which were created this year and will be publicly exhibited for the first time at the fair.
Charlotte Jansen, curator of Photo London's Discovery section, has said that this year's event emphasizes "durational projects" as opposed to the typical "point and shoot" perception of photography. Can you tell us about your artist Mia Liu's artworks and how they align with the theme Jansen described?
As a medium-specific fair, much like our gallery, we often encounter audiences seeking more from photography. We are fortunate to live in an era where photography is finally liberated, and while art historians may subconsciously attempt to categorize artistic practices, artists relentlessly strive to defy these definitions.
Liu is actively doing so with her creation of incredible photo-sculptures. She navigates photography's processes and historical development with precision yet shows little interest in adhering to their original properties or priorities. Visual planes blur, and images become palpably dense, defying the flat and continuous landscape typically associated with straight photography. Instead, Liu has crafted a series of textured "scapes" that resonate with her internal consciousness and draw on inspiration from literature.
You’ll also be returning to Sotheby’s Institute as a guest lecturer next month. Can you give us a preview of what you’ll be discussing?
My upcoming lecture is titled "Running a Lens-based Media Gallery." During my time at Sotheby’s Institute, I found guest lectures to be incredibly inspiring and I hope to impart some of my own experiences to the students. I’ve experienced quite a journey since graduating, and the landscape of the art industry has undergone significant shifts.
Given my background in business, I aim to delve into the practical aspects of gallery management and share some of the key challenges that our gallery has encountered along the way, as well as the strategies we have employed to overcome them. I will also introduce the Asian photography art scene as I believe this is an area that students may not be as familiar with but will find intriguing.
Can you share your vision for UP Gallery in the next five years? What impact do you hope to have on the photography and art community in Taiwan and beyond?
This year marks a turning point for the gallery and can be seen as a model for the next five years. We have launched a new initiative aimed at highlighting the significance of moving images, videos, and film works. With this expansion, we have increased the number of exhibitions within the gallery space and broadened our scope to encompass all aspects of lens-based art. While we will still actively participate in international art fairs, we are also exploring new collaboration methods with various industries.
Our goal has always been simple yet surprisingly challenging – to become synonymous with lens-based galleries in Taiwan and Asia. As mentioned earlier, the market is not ideal, so the gallery invests a significant amount of time in educating about the medium and its market practices. Even our major fine art schools don’t have photography departments so the gallery has established an extensive archive on our lower grounds, offering artists' photobooks and lens-based theory publications for the public to read. We aim to contribute to the development of a healthy photography landscape that integrates education and the art market in Taiwan.