Mayank Tiwari

COVID Eyes

Since its inception in 2019, COVID has affected many people and while people in Taiwan were lucky enough that their government took the best measures to prevent it from spreading, businesses definitely were affected. I have seen empty restaurants and shops. I took this shot at a night market in Changhua city where an old lady was trying to sell dumplings, barely managing to keep her mask up as it is a new normal for everyone now.

Taiwan’s first Indian photo gallery was inaugurated on the 12th of February this year. This marks a turning point in the patronage of Indian arts and culture. Mayank Tiwari, an Indian photographer living in Taiwan, together with Mayur Srivastava of Mayur Indian Kitchen (MIK), worked together to create a permanent gallery at the MIK-11 Taoyuan branch. The gallery offers visitors an immersive experience, while showcasing the best of Taiwan and India through the eyes of photographer Mayank.

“Having their own permanent gallery is probably the greatest achievement of any photographer and I am grateful to Mayur that he made that dream come true for me. I am thankful to everyone who came to support me and appreciated my work. This day will always be memorable for me.”

~ Mayank Tiwari

The exhibition is currently hosting eighty prints of Mayank’s photographs from both India and Taiwan. The visual experience is a wonderful fusion of the two cultures, bringing to light the richness and diversity of both countries. His subject matter covers landscapes, architecture and culture.

Mayank has been a professional travel photographer for seven years and has been featured on National Geographic, and HIPA amongst many notable publications. He has also had the opportunity to work with prestigious brands like Boeing, Oneplus, Vistara, Taiwan Tourism, and the Tripoto community to name a few.

His travels have taken him around the world, and his aerial photography offers a unique perspective of the places he captures on camera. He is an advocate of using photography as a tool for promoting cultural exchange and understanding, and he hopes to continue to use his craft to bridge the gap between people from different parts of the world.

This gallery symbolises a celebration of cultural diversity and is a testament to the strong ties between India and Taiwan.

Mayur Srivastava (founder and CEO of Mayur Indian Kitchen), who changed the Indian culinary landscape in Taiwan, believes this will be a new beginning of exhibiting Indian art in Taiwan and hopefully many more artists would like to come forward to showcase their art for the Taiwanese audience. This gallery will allow people to appreciate Mayank’s art and relish Indian delicacies at the same time. Mayur runs the biggest chain of Indian restaurants in Taiwan and the Taoyuan branch is his 11th branch with a dedicated gallery space on the second floor of the restaurant.

Tiwari can be found on Instagram as Makclickz

Colors of Chanthu

Taiwan is known for its typhoons which sometimes lead to disaster. However, during my stay in Taiwan since 2020, Typhoon Chanthu was probably the strongest one. Even though it didn't cause any major damage, it painted the sky of Taipei with a colorful sunset. I was lucky enough to witness and capture that magical evening.