Wei-Der CHANG

Short Biography

Wei-Der Chang contracted polio when she was six month old. As a consequence her arms became paralyzed and she became unable to use her right foot properly. In the course of the years her left foot proved to be her mobile strength releasing her artistic abilities. At the age of 18 she started expressing herself on canvas using her left foot. In1982 she was granted a scholarship by the Association. In 1988 she became full member of the AMFPA. From 1984 to 1995 she was chairperson of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists in Taiwan.

In the first stage of her artistic development Wei-Der Chang taught herself how to paint with the foot. At the age of 25 she started her professional art training under the supervision of various professors. The foot painter dedicates herself exclusively to traditional Chinese painting: rich umbels with lines of calligraphy, fantastic mountain sceneries or flower motifs with birds or fish are her particular strengths.

The paintings of Wei-Der Chang are mainly characterized by harmony and emphatic creativity. On several occasions she has had the opportunity to present her works at arts exhibitions organized by the AMFPA. Hongkong, Singapore and Vienna are only three out of the numerous cities where her paintings were on show. She has staged solo exhibitions in the US and in Canada, as well. A great honour was conferred upon her during the Olympic Games in 2000, when she was asked to paint for athletes and guests.