Chan Chao
Encyclopedia
Chan Chao is an American
photographer.
) in 1966. He and his family left Burma for the United States in 1978.
Chao studied under John Gossage
at the University of Maryland, College Park
. When he turned 30, Chao decided to visit Burma for the first time since his family left but was denied a visa
. Instead, he travelled to Thailand
and crossed the border illegally into Burma, where he photographed a Burmese rebel camp. These images comprise his books Burma: Something Went Wrong and Letter from PLF. He also has a book of female nudes entitled Echo. His Burma portraits were included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial
. Chao was one of 113 artists selected for the show. One of the curators of the show said, "With Chan Chao's photos, there certainly is a quality of photojournalism… but they are also pieces of art."
Chao’s photographs are in the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
, the Corcoran Gallery of Art
, the Whitney Museum of American Art
, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
and the LaSalle Bank
Photography Collection. His work has been published in Colors Magazine
, Conde Nast Traveler
, GEO Magazine, Culture & Travel Magazine and The Walrus
.
Chan Chao lives in the Washington, DC area. He teaches photography at George Washington University
. He previously taught at the Corcoran College of Art and Design
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer.
Biography
Chao was born in Burma (now MyanmarMyanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
) in 1966. He and his family left Burma for the United States in 1978.
Chao studied under John Gossage
John Gossage
John Gossage is an American photographer, noted for his artist's books and other publications using his photographs to explore under-recognised elements of the urban environment such as abandoned tracts of land, debris and garbage, and graffiti, and themes of surveillance, memory and the...
at the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. When he turned 30, Chao decided to visit Burma for the first time since his family left but was denied a visa
Visa (document)
A visa is a document showing that a person is authorized to enter the territory for which it was issued, subject to permission of an immigration official at the time of actual entry. The authorization may be a document, but more commonly it is a stamp endorsed in the applicant's passport...
. Instead, he travelled to Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and crossed the border illegally into Burma, where he photographed a Burmese rebel camp. These images comprise his books Burma: Something Went Wrong and Letter from PLF. He also has a book of female nudes entitled Echo. His Burma portraits were included in the 2002 Whitney Biennial
Whitney Biennial
The Whitney Biennial is a biennale exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, USA. The event began as an annual exhibition in 1932, the first biennial was in 1973...
. Chao was one of 113 artists selected for the show. One of the curators of the show said, "With Chan Chao's photos, there certainly is a quality of photojournalism… but they are also pieces of art."
Chao’s photographs are in the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is an art museum beside the National Mall, in Washington, D.C., the United States. The museum was initially endowed during the 1960s with the permanent art collection of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. It was designed by architect Gordon Bunshaft and is part of the...
, the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum in Los Angeles, California. It is located on Wilshire Boulevard along Museum Row in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles, adjacent to the George C. Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits....
and the LaSalle Bank
LaSalle Bank
LaSalle Bank Corporation was the holding company for LaSalle Bank N.A. and LaSalle Bank Midwest N.A. . With $116 billion in assets, it was headquartered at 135 South LaSalle Street in Chicago, Illinois...
Photography Collection. His work has been published in Colors Magazine
Colors magazine
Colors magazine is a multilingual quarterly magazine developed in Italy by Fabrica, Benetton's research center. There are three editions published: French/English, Italian/English, and Spanish/English. Each issue has a theme and covers the topic from an international perspective...
, Conde Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler is a US magazine published by Condé Nast. It has its origins in a mailing sent out by the Diners Club club beginning in 1953, listing locations that would take the card. It began taking advertising in 1955. In order to attract more advertisers, it became a full-fledged magazine,...
, GEO Magazine, Culture & Travel Magazine and The Walrus
The Walrus
The Walrus is a Canadian general interest magazine which publishes long form journalism on Canadian and international affairs, along with fiction and poetry by Canadian writers. It launched in September 2003, as an attempt to create a Canadian equivalent to American magazines such as Harper's, The...
.
Chan Chao lives in the Washington, DC area. He teaches photography at George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
. He previously taught at the Corcoran College of Art and Design
Corcoran College of Art and Design
The Corcoran College of Art and Design, , founded in 1890, is the only professional college of art and design in Washington, DC, located in the Downtown area. The school is a private institution in association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art.The Corcoran Gallery of Art is Washington's first and...
.
External links
- Chao's official website
- Burma: Something Went Wrong
- Letter from PLF
- Chao's photos at the Hirschhorn Museum
- The Photography Channel
- Chao, Chan. Burma: Something Went Wrong (Tucson, Ariz. : Nazraeli Press, 2000).