Liquid Geometry: Karoline Chen Transforms Reflection into Abstraction

At the World Grand Prix Photography Awards 2026 Autumn Season, Yu- Han Chen (Karoline Chen) received the Platinum Award in Black & White & Fine Art Photography for “Liquid Geometry”. The photograph offers a distinct perspective on light, form and visual abstraction.

Liquid Geometry by Karoline Chen

What inspired this award-winning photograph?

Throughout more than 30 years of international business experience, I have had many opportunities to travel around the world, including the Middle East and India. During these journeys, I have always been fascinated by the distinctive architecture, artistic traditions, and cultural expressions of different countries.

Dubai left an especially unforgettable impression on me. Its magnificent buildings, luxurious interiors, and remarkable attention to design were truly extraordinary. I also had the opportunity to visit the famous Burj Al Arab.

I photographed Liquid Geometry during a business trip to Dubai to attend a trade exhibition.

One of our major Middle Eastern clients, who had business operations in both Iran and Dubai, invited me to visit the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. While waiting to meet my client in the ground-floor lobby, I discovered an extraordinary art installation.

Among the many installations I have encountered, this was one of the most impressive in terms of artistic design and visual presentation.

What fascinated me most was the sophisticated combination of sculptural forms, lighting, and water reflections. Water beneath the installation reflected its shapes and the surrounding light. Different directions of illumination created a dazzling interplay of light, shadow, geometry, and reflection.

I was completely captivated. I began photographing the installation from different angles, hoping to capture the extraordinary beauty I was witnessing.

I knew that I might never have another opportunity to return to this remarkable building, so I wanted to preserve this precious visual experience.

Later, my client invited me to a lounge high above the city for coffee. I was amazed by the remarkable speed of the elevator and the breathtaking views of Dubai. The entire visit was an unforgettable experience. However, Liquid Geometry was photographed earlier, in the ground-floor lobby, during those unexpected moments of artistic discovery.

Among the photographs I have taken during my many years of business travel, this remains one of my favorite fine-art photographs.

It represents something fundamental about my approach to photography: wherever I go, whether for business or pleasure, I never stop observing the world and discovering beauty.

What creative or technical challenges did you encounter?

Although the installation was extraordinarily beautiful, photographing it was not as easy as it might appear.

Numerous light sources illuminated the artwork, while the water beneath it reflected both the installation and the surrounding light.

The interaction of multiple light sources, geometric forms, highlights, and water reflections created a dazzling scene, but also introduced considerable visual complexity.

As a photographer, I found these overlapping elements challenging to control within a single composition. I experimented with different shooting angles, carefully observing how the light, shadows, sculptural forms, and reflections interacted. Because I had never seen an installation quite like this before, I spent time admiring it and searching for a perspective that could best preserve its artistic beauty. Interestingly, I originally photographed this artwork in color.

The original scene was filled with beautiful colors and spectacular lighting effects. However, when I later reviewed my photographs, I decided to experiment with converting the image to black and white.

I discovered that removing the colors gave the photograph an even stronger visual impact. The contrast between light and shadow became more pronounced, the geometric forms appeared more powerful, and the water reflections took on a deeper sense of abstraction.

There was also a personal cultural connection behind my decision.

During my business travels in the Middle East, I had been particularly struck by the distinctive visual contrast in some of the more conservative places I visited, where I often saw women wearing black abayas and men wearing traditional white robes.

That strong contrast between black and white became one of my lasting visual impressions of the region.

When I converted Liquid Geometry into black and white, I felt that the image not only gained greater artistic intensity but also resonated with those memories of my travels.

For me, the challenge was not simply to photograph a beautiful installation, but to discover how to interpret its beauty through my own artistic vision.

The final black-and-white image expresses the interplay of light, geometry, and reflection more powerfully than the original color version, and that is what I love most about this photograph.

How do you balance technique and artistic expression?

During my 35 years of exploring photography, I have come to believe that technique makes an image possible, but emotion gives it a soul.

Photography began as my visual diary. Gradually, it became a way to express feelings, memories, and stories that words could not fully convey.

My artistic sensibility began in childhood through painting, piano, dance, calligraphy, and choral singing. These disciplines taught me to appreciate rhythm, movement, composition, and the emotional power of art.

I continue to enjoy exhibitions and artworks from different cultures and periods, allowing them to broaden my perspective.

I am especially drawn to light, reflections, textures, materials, and unexpected beauty in ordinary places.

I also love street photography and human stories: spontaneous gestures, genuine connections, and moments that cannot be staged.

My subjects range from landscapes, wildlife, and architecture to documentary and abstract photography.

Technical knowledge and artistic expression grow together through curiosity, observation, and experience.

Even after 35 years, I still consider myself a learner. Photography continues to enrich both my life and my understanding of the world.

What would you like viewers to take away from the work?

I have always been deeply fascinated by light, shadow, and reflections. These are among my favorite photographic subjects and have been an important part of my artistic expression for many years.

In Liquid Geometry, the extraordinary combination of installation art, geometric design, lighting, and water reflections allowed me to explore these elements in a particularly memorable way.

Through this photograph, I hope to share my personal interpretation of light and reflections with photography lovers around the world, especially those who share my passion for these subjects.

I believe that even when photographers stand before the same subject, each person may discover something different through their own observation, sensitivity, and imagination.

I hope this image encourages fellow photographers to explore different perspectives, appreciate the relationship between light and shadow, and discover unexpected artistic possibilities in the world around them.

Most importantly, I would like viewers to feel the same sense of wonder and excitement that I experienced when I first encountered this extraordinary installation.

Photography is not only about recording what we see, but also about expressing how we see it.

What role does photography play in the world today?

I believe photography has tremendous power.

It can document history, preserve memories, communicate emotions, and draw attention to people and issues that might otherwise remain unseen.

A photograph can transcend language and culture, creating understanding and empathy.

Photography is also an open-ended form of artistic creation. It can be realistic or abstract, documentary or imaginative.

Yet I believe creative freedom should be grounded in kindness, respect, and a sense of humanity.

Even when we photograph hardship, we can approach people with compassion and dignity.

For me, photography is not only a way of seeing the world, but also a lifelong pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.

I hope my images reveal not only visual beauty, but also the stories and dignity of life.

Editor’s Note

Liquid Geometry approaches an architectural installation as a shifting arrangement of light, reflection and sculptural line. Its monochrome treatment reduces the distraction of colour and asks the viewer to look more closely at structure, tonal contrast and the instability of reflected form.

Chen’s account adds an important dimension: the final image emerged through experimentation after the original exposure, shaped by decades of travel and a longstanding interest in artistic disciplines beyond photography. The work is therefore both a record of an encountered installation and a personal act of visual interpretation.

Artist Biography — Yu-Han Chen (Karoline Chen), Taiwan

I am a Taiwan-based photographer with 35 years of photographic experience.

My work spans landscapes, nature, wildlife, human stories, street and documentary photography, and abstract fine art.

Early studies in painting, music, dance, and calligraphy shaped my sensitivity to color, light, rhythm, and form.

Nearly 30 years in international business and encounters with different cultures have further enriched my perspective.

I am especially fascinated by reflections, geometric forms, and the relationship between reality and illusion.

Through photography, I seek to preserve memories and tell authentic human stories with empathy and respect.

Selected International Recognition

World Grand Prix Photography Awards — Autumn 2026:

Liquid Geometry — Platinum Award

The Other Forest — Gold Award

The Forgotten Ground — Silver Award

Witnessing the Fire — Silver Award

Feeding the Sky — Silver Award

TopPhotoAwards (TPA), The Language of Flowers — 2026:

Dance in Violet Light — Expert Choice

Golden Meadow of Blossoms — Expert Choice

Selected Recognition in Taiwan

2026 Taipei City Government Department of Social Welfare, 共擁故事・共融臺北 Photography Competition — Merit Award, General Creation Category, for 城市裡的同行 (Walking Together in the City).

2026 Tamsui Commercial District, 跨越世紀・橋見淡水 Photography Competition — Merit Award.

2012 Biodiversity Photography/Recording Competition — Special Award and additional recognitions.

Online Links

TPA Official Award Certificate — Dance in Violet Light:

https://topphotoawards.com/contest/certificate/576b9e28-a11b-4dcd-bb84-4f3a7a1030a4-74

TPA Second Award Certificate:

https://topphotoawards.com/contest/certificate/f03b45ba-e7aa-41e2-a8ae-1712710d34fd-74

Threads:

https://www.threads.com/@karolineccw

About the World Grand Prix Photography Awards

The World Grand Prix Photography Awards (WGPPA) is an international online photography competition recognising creative work across photographic disciplines. Winning photographers can share their work through online award showcases, while selected winners may be invited to take part in editorial interviews published by WODACC. These features give readers a closer look at the artists, ideas and processes behind the photographs.

For photographers exploring international online competitions, the award offers a way to present work beyond a personal portfolio and, for selected participants, an opportunity to share their creative stories with a wider audience. Editorial coverage is selective and does not guarantee media pickup, search ranking or AI recommendations.

Competition website: https://www.wgppa.com/