40 YEARS OF CHINESE CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHY (1976 – 2018)
Compiled by WU HUNG
Under the broad concept of “Photographic Expression”, this book is an impressive summary and interpretation of Contemporary Chinese photography, relevant photographers and photo movements/tendencies that erupted in Chinese photographers.
This photobook was organized as a catalog of a major photographic exhibition held in Beijing (2017) and Shenzhen (2018), under the initiative of its publisher and photographic gallery, the “Three Shadow Photographic Art Center”, Beijing.
Art historian and curator Wu Hong selected from around 180 photographers/partnersips, their most relevant works, further to identifying important photography associations/groups that broadly shaped Chinese Contemporary art scene and, in particular, the photography in China.
In his words, the book structures Chinese contemporary photography into four periods:
· The rise of unofficial photographic groups and exhibitions (1976 – 1979):
“Three events from 1976 and 1979 together constituted a turning point in the history of Chinese photography. First, a group of amateur photographers forms an unofficial network, systematically documenting the mass mourning of Premier Zhou Enlai’s passing and compiling their photographs into volumes for public dissemination. Known as the April Fifth Movement Photographs, these images preserved people’s memories of the incident and played an important role at a critical moment in contemporary Chinese history.
The second significant phenomenon was the emergence of coterie photograph groups. One of the earliest such communities was the “Every Friday Salon”, comprised of more than thirty members, in the winter of 1976 (…). These spontaneously formed communities brought young people with photographic ambitions together. (…)
The third event from this period – the founding of “April Photo Society” in early 1979, and their first exhibition “Nature, Society and Man”, was a milestone (…). The exhibition’s preface clearly expressed the aim of fostering an “art for the art sake” liberating photography from confines of political propaganda (…), and reflecting three general tendencies: reembracing humanistic values, returning to nature, and representing society.”
Photographers such as Luo Xiaoyun, Wang Zhiping , Li Yingjie, Wang Miao, Ren Guoen and Luo Jian (photos above) were selected under this period.
· New wave photography (1980 – 1990):
“From the early to mid-1980s onward, numerous photography groups and exhibitions emerged all over the country. (…).
This “New Wave Movement” was intimately connected to the “Culture Craze” and the “85 Art New Wave” of 1980s, and was also closely linked to an “information explosion” in literature and art at the time. (…) As a direct result of this information explosion, major trends in western photography since the early XXth century were restaged in China in the 1980s.
After this period of reintroduction of western photographic styles, documentary photography came to dominate the “New Wave Movement” in the later part of the 1980s. (…) Around the same time, due to the explosion of China’s urbanization, an increasing number of documentary photographers focused their lenses upon metropolitan landscapes in the midst of violent transformation.”
Photographers such as Hu Wugong, Pan Ke, Yu Xiaoyang, Gu Zheng, Lu Nan and Niu Guozheng (photos above) were selected under this group.
· Experimental photography (1996 – 2006):
“By the end of the 1980s, the “New Wave Movement” had largely accomplished its historical mission of restoring photography’s status as an art in China. A new kind of photography with a stronger experimental intent emerged and allied itself with the burgeoning avant-garde art. (…)
Three events were pivotal in the formation of the experimental photography movement. The first was the establishment of the East Village community in Beijing, a gathering of performance artists, experimental photographers and avant-garde painters. (…)
The second event was the appearance of new kinds of experimental photography publications, the most important of which was the photocopied “New Photo” (Xin Sheying) in 1996. (…)
The third major event was the spread of conceptual photography. (…) “When concept enters Chinese photography, it is as if a window suddenly opens in a room that has been sealed for years. We can now breathe comfortably, and reach a new meaning of “new photography””. (…)
[Photographers were] no longer interested in capturing meaningful moments in life, they focused instead on the manner of artistic expression and fought hard top control the situation within which their works were viewed. These new practices led to the wide popularity of constructed images.”
Photographers such as RongRong, Han Lei, Zuoxiao Zuzhou, Wang Ningle, Weng Fen and Yan Chiangjiang (photos above) were selected under this group.
· The development of experimental organizations (2007 – 2018):
“The Third Shanghai Biennial” in 2000 and “The First Guangzhou Triennial” in 2002 marked the legitimization of experimental Chinese art (including Chinese photography) and its internationalization. (…).
Solo and group photographic exhibitions held in newly opened spaces increased rapidly, some still holding fast to the original intention of experimental photography. Writings on photography also appeared in greater volumes, anticipating an academic subfield within art history and art criticism. (…)”
Photographers such as Adou, Chen Zhe, Luo Dan, Ren Hang, Yang Yongliang and Zhang Kechun (photos above) were selected under this group.
In brief, major and most representative Chinese photographers are included in this compilation that allows readers having an understanding of their expressions and focus of interest and also their role in the evolution of contemporary Chinese photography. This book is also relevant on providing us a view of the way these photographers/artists expressed their concerns and view of a dramatic changing China –its landscape, urban context, social fabric and human behavior.
It is an excellent photobook!
In future Halftone blog posts, the work of some of these important Chinese photographers will be further detailed through some of their individual photobooks that have been published in China and abroad within the last years.
Technical data:
Publisher: Three Shadows Photographic Art Center, Beijing
Year: 2018
Hardcover, 367 pages, 21 cm x 27.5 cm
ISBN: 978-7-5514-2465-3