Holding an old station inside a changed landscape
Xhin Toh holds an earlier view of his Malaysian hometown inside a present-day photograph. His exhibition opens at Taipei's Lightbox on October 17.
Buddy Lien · Taipei · October 16, 2026
Layang-Layang Drifts Afar series image
Xhin Toh, Layang-Layang Drifts Afar series. Image published by Lightbox Photo Library.
Editorial useView source ↗
Look at the image inside the image, then follow the photographer's return to Layang-layang.
The LAYANG-LAYANG sign sits inside a photograph held across Xhin Toh's body. Behind it, the ground is broken and plants press around him. The old view occupies the new landscape without quite fitting.
Toh grew up in Layang-layang, Malaysia, and now lives in Taipei. After moving to Taiwan to study, he began photographing home on return visits. Railway electrification brought the old station under threat in 2023. He stepped into the pictures himself. Curator I-Ying Liu explains that he held blank canvases during shooting; the earlier views were added afterwards.
Layang-Layang Drifts Afar brings photographs made from 2016 to 2026 into Lightbox's photography library. Toh and Liu arranged the work among the shelves, alongside writing and reports of fires that changed his hometown. The exhibition runs October 17–November 28, Wednesday–Saturday, 13:00–19:00.
Lightbox is a free, walk-in photography library near Taipower Building MRT. The exhibition has longer hours than the usual Thursday–Saturday, 14:00–19:00 library opening. Take exit 2 and allow about 3–4 minutes on foot to 19 Lane 269, Roosevelt Road Section 3.
Layang-Layang Drifts Afar exhibition poster
Exhibition poster: Lightbox Photo Library; photograph: Xhin Toh.
Editorial useView source ↗
Get there
Public transport
About 3–4 minutes on foot from Taipower Building MRT exit 2.
Sources
- Lightbox opening invitation ↗ — October 17, 16:00 opening with the artist and curator
- Lightbox exhibition information ↗ — Dates, exhibition hours and artist
- I-Ying Liu on Xhin Toh’s return to his hometown ↗ — Work, image-making and curation
- Lightbox visiting information ↗ — Address and MRT arrival
- Lightbox library and FAQ ↗ — Free entry and ordinary library access