The Taste of Emotion

The Taste of Emotion by Wei Zihan is a tender and unexpectedly poetic photobook that explores the emotional and sensory associations evoked through looking at animals. Combining photographs with short fragments of text, the work transforms acts of observation into deeply personal reflections, where memory, texture, feeling, and imagination quietly intertwine. Rather than documenting animals objectively, Wei Zihan approaches them through intuition and emotional resonance. A giraffe becomes “a folded tatami mat taken from a wardrobe,” while the fur of a panther recalls “repeatedly touching silk with a special shine.” These unexpected pairings blur the boundaries between sight, memory, and sensation, revealing how perception is shaped as much by emotion and experience as by the subject itself. What makes The Taste of Emotion especially compelling is its ability to restore a sense of wonder to the act of looking. The photographs are often unusually framed and closely observed, inviting viewers to slow down and reconsider familiar forms through intimate, associative thinking. The accompanying texts do not explain the images; instead, they open emotional pathways that feel playful, vulnerable, and deeply human. Published following Wei Zihan’s selection for the 2nd Canon Ginza SHINES contest and accompanying her exhibition at Canon Open Gallery 1 in Tokyo, the book reflects a fresh and highly sensitive photographic voice. It speaks not only about animals, but about memory, perception, and the emotional textures hidden within everyday observation. For readers interested in contemporary Asian photography, image-text relationships, and photobooks that move beyond straightforward narrative into poetic and sensory territory, The Taste of Emotion is a quietly enchanting publication that rewards attentive reading. 《The Taste of Emotion》是魏子涵（Wei Zihan）一本充滿感知與情緒聯想的攝影書。作品結合動物攝影與短篇文字，透過觀看動物時所產生的記憶、觸感與情感連結，展開一場關於感知與想像的細膩探索。 在她的眼中，長頸鹿像是「從衣櫃裡拿出的榻榻米」，黑豹的毛皮則令人想起「反覆觸摸帶有光澤的絲綢」。這些看似跳躍的文字與影像，實際上揭示了觀看如何與記憶、情緒與身體感知緊密交織。 《The Taste of Emotion》並不只是一本動物攝影集，而更像是一部關於觀看經驗本身的詩意作品。對於喜歡當代亞洲攝影、圖文敘事與感性閱讀體驗的讀者而言，這是一部安靜卻充滿魅力的攝影書。 +++ Language: English, Chinese & Japanese Binding: Softcover | 150g Pages: 32 pages Book Size: 257 × 182 mm Publication Year: 2022 | Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 700 ISBN: 978-4-908955-22-8