Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao -
Bronx Grand Concourse
American born in Taiwan, b.1977
Bronx Grand Concourse, 2008
Pigment ink print, 40 x 64 inches
Edition of 12
09.009
Gift of Nicki and J. Ira Harris (BBA '59)
Born in Taiwan, and later located in New York, Liao has always been interested in how people are nurtured by their surroundings. He often concentrates on cultural differences as well as nurturing activities. He earned an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and a BFA from Pratt Institute. He won first prize in the New York Times “Capture the Times” photo contest in 2005. Liao’s work has been featured in several solo and group exhibitions, and is owned by private and public collections, including JGS Inc. Foundation, Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Queens Museum of Art, Deutsche Bank, Norton Museum and Kodak Eastman House.
Bronx Grand Concourse was commissioned by the Bronx Museum of Art to commemorate the 100 anniversary of the Concourse. They encouraged the artist to create a photographic portrait of the Bronx as it was in 2009, with the Grand Concourse at its center and the streets, parks, and alleys that surround it. “Jeff has caught the hum, the concentration of The Bronx, where every day a melting pot of New Yorkers goes about the business of daily life, so often with brio,” says Holly Block, Executive Director, the Bronx Museum of the Art. At first glance Liao’s work appears to be clear-cut documentation photography, but in fact, his work is a cornucopia of images that have been collaged together. Often times Liao will spend an entire day collecting these images, photographing the same seen, with different light or times of day, and even incorporates long exposures. The end result is a pieced together image that “neither the eye nor digital technology could produce alone.”
