Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao at Julie Saul

In his ongoing series "Habitat 7," Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao, who was born in Taiwan, examines the life and forms that pop up along the number 7 subway line linking Times Square in Manhattan to Main Street in Flushing, Queens, and running high above ground on the Queens side. Having traveled the route for many years, Liao sees the diverse ethnic communities rising at either side of the line in northwest Queens as paralleling the rivers flowing through the valleys where the first civilizations were born. He notes how groups have held onto their respective cultures while living peacefully side by side. The panoramic photographs he exhibited (all pigment ink prints, 20 by 48 inches), showing us more than the eye can see in any given instant, have a breadth of vision, intricacy of detail, saturation of color and slightly supernatural aura. In this, they bring to mind the paintings of the Hudson River School, as well as, in their wide configuration, Asian handscrolls that are unrolled horizontally.

Liao uses a large-format 8-by-10 camera to shoot pictures of a specific setting over the course of several hours or longer. Photographed at slightly different angles from side to side, the scenes are digitally joined by means of Photoshop. They are also tweaked to eliminate unwanted details and to clean up imperfections, move or add an object, alter sharpness or perspective, change a tone or modify a color. The compositions have an unnaturally broad scope, and the light shifting through the scenes can illuminate parts of buildings that are ordinarily wrapped in shadow. The artist often shoots his scenes from high vantage points, in order to see above and beyond nearby people and objects, which increases the slightly otherworldly quality of his photographs.

Iron Triangle Flushing (2004), showing one car repair shop after another extending into the distance along a diagonal, is one of my favorites. You can almost hear the sounds of engines roaring and metal being banged on, and almost smell the wet tarmac and grease. It's gritty, but at the same time so crisp. 42nd Road Long Island City (2005) shows a largely deserted intersection, with buildings like great slices of cake commandeering the separate blocks as the sun settles over the Manhattan skyline beyond. Using the latest photographic techniques, Liao has a knack for making the banal look striking.

COPYRIGHT 2006 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning