Taichung Green Museumbrary: HSIAO KAIWEN Gives Geometry a Human Scale
At the World Grand Prix Photography Awards 2026 Autumn Season, HSIAO KAIWEN received the Gold Award in Architectural & Urban Photography for “Taichung Green Museumbrary”. The photograph offers a distinct perspective on the relationship between architecture and people.
Located within Shui-Nan Central Park, the Taichung Green Museumbrary was designed by Pritzker Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA. It is Taiwan’s first cultural landmark to integrate a library and an art museum into a single architectural complex. Eight white, translucent structures are interconnected by elevated walkways, creating a poetic dialogue between architecture and nature—“a library in the park and an art museum in the forest.”
Interview
What inspired this award-winning photograph?
The Taichung Green Museumbrary complex consists of eight interconnected buildings, linked by numerous elevated walkways and corridors. When I arrived at this location, I noticed that the composition was dominated by triangles. However, I felt that something was missing—a soul to bring the geometric forms to life.
I waited for about ten minutes until someone happened to walk into the center of the triangular composition. I immediately pressed the shutter, capturing that fleeting moment when human presence gave life and meaning to the architecture.
What creative or technical challenges did you encounter?
I continually study the techniques of other photographers online and draw inspiration from the photographic philosophies of renowned photographers such as Daido Moriyama and Henri Cartier-Bresson. By learning from their approaches to composition, observation, and capturing decisive moments, I continue to refine my own photographic vision and overcome creative challenges.
How do you balance technique and artistic expression?
On Instagram, viewers spend an average of approximately 1.8 seconds looking at a single photograph. That leaves very little time to appreciate technical skill alone, and 1.8 seconds is certainly not enough to fully convey artistic expression.
For this reason, I prioritize artistic expression in my work. Rather than simply demonstrating technical proficiency, I aim to create photographs that communicate an idea, evoke a feeling, and invite viewers to pause and reflect.
What would you like viewers to take away from the work?
Many aspects of our lives are built around three elements that work together to create balance. Our life priorities, for example, may be family, career, and health; our relationships may revolve around romantic love, family bonds, and friendship. Even in spatial composition, we can think in terms of points, lines, and planes.
Through the interplay of light and shadow, I hope viewers will find a moment of stillness and reflect on the roles they play within these different triangles of life.
What role does photography play in the world today?
In the internet age, photography often serves as a window to the world, allowing people to explore distant places, discover different cultures, and experience the world beyond their immediate surroundings.
Editor’s Note
Taichung Green Museumbrary explores the relationship between architectural geometry and the passing human figure. The intersecting forms of the SANAA-designed complex create a disciplined visual structure, while the photographer’s decision to wait for a person introduces movement and scale.
That patient intervention is central to the image’s effect. Instead of recording a building as a static object, the photograph considers how architecture is inhabited and experienced. Its strength lies in making the human presence feel integral to the composition rather than incidental.
Follow HSIAO KAIWEN
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayafilm12406./
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.
Competition website: https://www.wgppa.com/
