During the past twenty-five years, Chinese artists have reinvented photography as an art form. Before 1979, and especially during the Cultural Revolution mobilized by Mao Zedong to reinvig- orate Communism in China between 1966 and 1976, publications and exhibitions of photographs served strict propagandist purposes; unofficial photography remained private. The appearance of the first unofficial photo club and exhibition in Beijing in 1979 changed this situation fundamen- tally. Since then, many such clubs have emerged and numerous photography exhibitions have been organized by independent curators and artists. In the process, contemporary Chinese artists’ use of the medium has evolved from imitating Western styles to developing an original language and character.From the 1980s t0 the 19905, a host of photography journals and magazines was published in China, introducing the major schools and masters of Western pho- tography to an eager audience. Western techniques as well as social and artistic sepirations influenced a generation of young Chinese photographers, who made images for their aesthetic appeal and as authentic records of historical events and human lives. Many artists produced docu: rmentary-style photographs during the 1980s and early 19905, creating works with a strong political agenda, either exploring the dark side of society or glorifying an idealized, timeless Chinese civilization unspoiled by Communist ideology. This petiod, which Chinese critics described as the Photographic New Wave (sheying sin chao), laid the ground for the next generation of photographers to undertake wide-ranging artiste experiments beyond realism and symbolism. The new types of image-making, often referred ro collectively by Chinese artists and arcrites as experimental photography (shiyan sheying)? became closely linked with an ongoing experimental art move: ment in the r9908. Whereas experimental photographers found inspiration in per: formance, installation, and multimedia art painters, pesformers, and installation artists have routinely employed photography in their work, sometimes even reinventing themselves as full-time phosographers. As a result of this dynamic exchange, photog- raphy has played a central role in recent contemporary Chinese art. Photography's ‘openness to new visual technology and its ability co challenge the boundaries between fiction and reality, art and com- -mecce, object and subject, have inspired and permeated various kinds of art exper ‘mentation in China. Containing roughly one hundred and thirty works ereated by sixty artists from 1994 10 2003, the exhibition Between Past ‘and Future: New Photography and Video From China showeases this most recent ‘chapter of contemporary Chinese photog- raphy, the continuous, exciting. develo- pment of which has, over the past decade, been characterized by nonstop reinvention, abundant production, multifaceted experi mentation, and cross-fetilization with ‘other art forms. To provide the exhibition ‘with historical context, this essay covers 44 broader period, outlining the major ‘ronds, stimuli, and developmental stages ‘of Chinese photography over the past ‘wenty-five years. A review of the period from the late 19708 to 1980s establishes ‘the starting point of this development—a “ground zero” against which documentary and “fine art” photography reemerged ‘with rigor and a sense of mission. The fl lowing discussion focuses on two aspects ‘of experimental photography since the 9908: its relationship with China's social transformation and the artists’ changing self-identity, and the interaction beeween ‘experimental Chinese. photography and postmodern theories, conceptual art, and ‘other new forms of contemporary art sch 4 performance and installation, Integrated into single narrative, these two focuses will address the dominant concemns of ‘experimental Chinese photographers and the basic direction of thee expeviments, (1976-1979) ‘Three consecutive events from 1977 £0 early 1979 together constituted a turning point in the history of contemporary Chinese photography. First, @ group of amateur photogeaphers formed an under ‘ground network, compiling theie private records ofa suppressed political movement into volumes for public circulation. This, movement—the mass mourning for Premier Zhou Enlai in 1976—was the firs lage- scale public demonstration in the capital of the People's Republic of China. Toward the mid-r9705, Zhou had become the remaining hope for many Chinese, who saw him as the only person able to sax (China from the disasters that the Cultura Revolution had inflicted upon the country. With Zhou's death in January 1976, this hope seemed ro have vanished. Even worse, the extreme leftist leaders ofthe Cultural Revolution—the Gang of Fous headed by Mao's wife, Jiang Qing—condemmned Zhou and prohibited people from moueaing hin Al the anxiety, frustration, disillusion, and anguish that had troubled Being esi dents for more than a decade merged into a shared feeling of grief from which » grassroots movement began to ake shape. ‘On March 23, single wreath of white paper the eaditional symbol of mourning, ‘was dedicated to Zhou at the foot of the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Squa Te wens immediately removed by Beijing's municipal govern: rent, which was controlled by the Gang ‘of Four. But the prohibition only brought more wreaths, mourners, and finally the protest on April 4, the day of the Qingming Festival (the traditional day for holding memorial services for the dead) One hundred thousand people gachered in ‘Tiananmen Square on this and the follow- ing day. By this point, whie wreaths had been covered by red flags and slogans, and weeping had turned into songs, the beating of drums, and poems condemning the Gang ‘of Fours evil deeds. Then, on the aight of Aprils, some ten thousand armed police and worker-miliciamen rushed into the square, beating and arresting the demon- strarors. Terror continued for months afterward: numerous arrests were made; photos and tapes recording the mass gath- ring were confiscated; people who sefused to surrender these eecords were threatened wih ehe death penalty Such extreme repression only hastened the fall of the Gang of Four. After Mao died in October of that yeas, the acw leader Hua Guofeng arrested Jiang Qing and her colleagues. After Deng Xizoping returned to power in 1978, Mao war openly criticized, and nearly theee millionvictims of the Cultural Revolution were fchabilitated. But che political situation remained unstable, and it was by no means certain that Deng’ reformist faction would cventually win the bartle. Because photo traphs ofthe April Fifth Movement—as the ‘mass mourning for Zhou Enlai is called— ‘most effectively evoked people's memories of the event and strengthened thee will ro pursue a beter farure, these images played fin important cole a this critical moment ‘contemporary Chinese history Most ofthese phorogeaphs were taken bby amateucs. Some of them, such as Wang, Zhiping and Li Xiaobin, would later ‘pecome the leaders of the Photographic "New Wave in the 1980s. But in 1976 they ‘vere beginners with lice knowledge of the Art of photography; what they had were heap cameras and 2 burning desire to ‘ecord the mass demonsteaton for posterity {vics. 152). Working individually, each of ‘jen 100k hundreds of photos in che square ‘throughout the April Fifth Movement and “preserved the negatives ducing the subse- ne political persecution. They became sand comrades only later, when they ‘each others’ April Fifth photos and barked on a collaborative effort to pub- “these private records to represent niemory. Before this, some of them ompiled individual photo albums of ovement and presented them to Deng, ygand Deng Yingchao (the latter Flas widow and a veteran rev- leader in her owa vight.* They ‘compile the most povserful pho- je movement ineo a single volume ial committce was established in th Movement was still nbeled njoement, they worked cled on very limited resoures. mnelear how many negatives iy collected, ue according to Li they enlarged from these red between twenty and thingy thowsand! Some five hundced images were selected forthe volume, which even twally came out in January 1979 under the tite People's Mourning (Renmin de dam fannie. 3) Published after the echabilita the April Fifth Movement, however, this volume was no longer 2 private undestak- ing as the editors had planned, but beeame an official project endorsed by China’ top leaders. While na authorship of the indi vidal photos is explicitly identified, the volumes title page bears a dedication by Hua Guofeng, then the Chairman of the n of (Chinese Communist Pare. The volume thus helped Hua gin public support and legit ‘mated his mandate. This offical patronage also brought unexpected fame to the edi tors, whose heroic deeds” were eported in newspapers, and who were invited to join the mainsteam Association of Chinese Photographers. No longer considering themselves amateurs, they now rook pho- tography seriously as a lifelong pursuit: Aisillusioned by the official hijacking of their project, however, they tusned away from political involvement to pursue an artistic photography outside the govern rmene’s agendas, Li Xiaobin recalled that right before the publication of People's Mourning, he and Wang Zhiping rook » trip to the Old Summer Palace (Vnanoning Yuam) co photograph the famous rains there, while Wang suddenly tuened to him and said, “Lets stop making a career in polities. Let's juse create art and organize four own exhibitions!” This ides soon spread ro other members ofthe group, and in early 1979, they established the April Photo Society. The club’ first exhibition, Nature, Society and Man, opened in Apel Two photographie groups or “salons” in Beijing formed the core of the April Photo Society. One group—mas of whom had taken part in the People’ Mourning projeet—met regularly in Wang Zhiping’s small apartment in the esstern pare ofthe city. The other geoup, formed as early as the winter of 1976, had thisty to forey members who gathered every Friday ‘evening in the dorm ofthe young photog rapher Chi Xiaoning in the westera part of the city (the dorm belonged co the [Northern Film Stadio). The spisitual leader of this second group, knowa to its mem hers as Xinggitow shalong—the Every Friday Salon-—was Di Cangyuan a special effects phorogeapher working in Beijing's Science Film Studio. Dis younger followers admired him for his extensive knowledge of the history of photography, and he served as the main lecture inthe group's meetings. Other photographers, film dire. tors, and artiste were also invited as guest speakers, ateracting young artists citywide, among whom Wang Keping, Huang Rui, ‘Gu Cheng, and A Cheng soon emerged as representative avant-garde artists and ‘writers of their generation. In addition to these gatherings, the members ofthe group took photographing trips together to vari- fous sites around Beijing, and displayed their works in Chi Xisoning’s dorms! Organized by the April Photo Society, the Nature, Society, and Man exhibition ‘opened in Beijing's Sun Yatsen Park on April 1, 1979. Consisting af ewo hundeed eighty works by fifty-one artists (many of whom called themselves amateurs} this ‘unofficial exhibition created a sensation in ‘China's capita.’ The audience packed the small exhibition hall from morning to sight (F1c. 4}; enthusiasts visited the show multiple times, copying down every word that accompanied the images. According to. report, two to theve thowsand people visited each weekday, while more than eight thousand people showed up on a Sunday. Curiously, introductions to con- temporary Chinese are rately mention this exhibition even in passing. Instead, their authors have paid much attention to ‘nother unofficial exhibition held the same year in Beijing the Stars Art Exhibition (Xingxing meizhan) organized by a group of avant-garde painters and sculptors‘The Stars exhibition openly attacked Mao's dictatorship, while the apolitical, formalist works in Nature, Society, and ‘Man challenged the partys control over visual art mainly inthe domain of aesther- tes; thie difference in foes explains the differing evtial attention to these two exhibitions. The exhibition's preface, writ ten by Wang Zhiping, made the focus of Nature, Society, and Mam explice News photos cannot replace the art of photography. Content cannot be equaled ith form. Photography as an art should have its own language. Ie is now time to explore art withthe language of at, just as economic matters should be dealt with by using the methods of economics, The beauty of photography les not necesearly in “important subject master” or in official ideology, but should be found in natere's rhythms, social reality and in emotions and ideas. ‘Works in the exhibition reflected two main interests i representing nature and society ‘Many of the images guided the audience ro meditate on the beauty and serenity of landscape; other images offered glimpses into people's emotional states and daily lives (16. 5). None of the works broke new ground in artistic representation, but their mild humanism and aestheticism seas cextcemely fresh and had a sremendous appeal to the public. Only by juxtaposing these works with the Cultural Revolution can one understand their significance and effect: in a countey where art had been reduced to political propaganéa for an entire decade, any representation of pi vate love, abstract beauty, o socal satire was considered revolutionary (#16. 6) When some offical critics disparaged this ‘exhibition for its “bourgeois tendency” and lack of *communist spe" it atracted ‘even more people from all levels of society, who saw ie as “an unmistakable sign of che beginning of a cultural Renaissance." (1980-1988) “The April Phoro Society organized wo smoce Nature, Society, and Mes exhibitions in r980 and 198r (r10. 7). On the surface, both exhibitions continued the success af ‘unofficial photography in China: che num ber of participating artists doubleds each show attracted thousands of visitors, and the 1981 exhibition was even admitted ino the National Art Gallery, On a deeper level, however, the two shows no longer retained the provocative edge ofthe 1979 exhibition. As the Cultural Revolution was ‘gradually becoming past memory, amateur photography could no longer erete a big stir by simply filling up a cultural void. In Addition, che Apil Photo Society's advocacy ‘of “art photography" led to formalism land, in the worst ease, ta pretentious, stylized Salon style. Although some works in these two exhibitions dealt with serious social problems and reached anew level of artistic sophistication (F1. 8), many images were overtly sentimental or packed with vague philosophical concepts. The photog- raphers' attempts at abstract patterns and painterly effects often vitiated their spon- taneous felings for theie subjects. Looking back, the critics Li Mei and Yang Xiaoyan aceributed ths co the artists’ insufficient knowledge of the history of photography snd their confusion between art and com- ‘mercial photography, among other factors." Aaditionally, che changing locations of the three Neture, Society, and Man exhibitions indicate tht, by 1981, ths series had been accepted by the authorities and that the April Photo Society had largely merged wih che mainstream ‘The second and thied Nature, Society, ‘and Man exhibitions, however, had a specific significance in triggering the nationwide movement known as the Photographic New Wave. While the fist show was held only in Beijing, these wo later exhibitions traveled to cities around 6 the country and inspired photographers in these places to carry out similar projects Numerous local phorogeaphy clubs and ‘exhibitions emerged fom the early 19805, onward, In Xian, for example, a group of young amateur photographers founded the Four Dirsctons Photo Club (Sfong yingbui, and in Guangzhou, Everyone's Photography Exhibition (Renren yingzhan) attracted & huge crowd. Additional influential local photography clubs appeared around the mid-1980s, including the Shaanxi Group based in Xi'an (Shaawst quanti) and Shanghai North River League (Beitemeng) Bur Beijing remained the center of this movement. According ta report, more than fone hundred photo clubs were founded thee in the early and mid-ro8as and many unofficial exhibitions were organized on different levels during this period.! The two most important Beijing groups were the Rupture Group (Licbien guanti) and the Modera Photo Salon (Xiandaisheying shalong). By organizing three influential exhibitions from 1985 to 1988, the latter became the flagship of the New Wave ‘movement during this period. ‘Compared withthe April Photo Society artists, members of these later groups demonstrated much greater familiarity with Western photogeaphy—theirexhibi tions were populated with images modeled ‘epon almost all major styles of Western photography invented since the torn of the twentieth century. While che pursuit of ‘qualities associated with fine art—pictor lism, abstraction, and technical perfestion— continued to motivate many photogea- phets, others, especially those of Beijing's Rupture Group and Shanghai's North River League, embraced symbolism and psychoanalysis. Their bizarse and absurd Images, conceived as direct outcomes fof intuition and ieeationality, betray sense of alienation from society (E16 9). Photographers conceened wih socal issues found their models in the tadicion of ‘Western documentary photography. Inspiredby works of Margaret Bourke-White, Robert Frank, Walker Evans, and Dorothea Lange, to name jus few, they began documenting neglected aspects of Chinese society and started a documentary tuen that would dom inate the New Wave movement fom the mid-1980s to the early 19905. Such pluralism—one of the most important features of the 19808 Chinese cultural world-—was closely celated to an information explosion during the eatly-0- mid-r980s, when all sorts of so-called decadent Western at forbidden during the Cultsral Revolution, were intcoduced t0 China theough reproductions and exhibi- tions. Hundreds of theoretical works by ssuthors such as Heinrich Woltflin and Jacaiues Desrida were translated snd pub- lished ina short periods images by Western photographers from Alfred Stiglitz to Cindy Sherman sere reproduced in books and magazines, often accompanied by his torical or theoretical discussions. These texts and images aroused enormous interest among younger artists and greatly inspired their work, Ie was 98 if 4 century of ‘Western act had been restaged in China ‘The chronology and internal logic ofthis Western tradition was less important than its diverse content as visual and intellec- tual simalus for hungey arvsts and their audience. Thus, styles and theories that had long become history to Western art cities were regarded as contemporary by Chinese artists and used as their models. In other words, the meaning of these Westernized Chinese works was located not in the original significance of their styles, but in the transference of these styles to a diferent ime and place ‘Major vehicles for such reproductions and translations were popular photo jour nals and magazines, which increased rapidly in namber and kind throughout the 190s. Among these, InPhotography (Kiandai sheying) started in 1984 and soon became the most popular reading material of younger photographers. Pablished not in a politica] center such as Beijing but in the mew economie zone of Shenzhen, InPhotogzapby was under less scrutiny from official censorship and its editors enjoyed greater freedom to deter- rine its content. Indeed, the journal's two major goals, announced in the "Words From the Editors” inthe fist issue, were “to intcoduce exemplary works of foreign “photographers” and “promote experi mentation and invention ia domestic photography." This dual direction seta model for similar publications, which sushroomed in the following year. When nother new journal, Chinese Photographers (Zhongguo sheyingjia), was founded in 198; its foreword included thi humorous srvey ofthe field: Speaking about today’s photography, iis really as hot as this month’ (July) weather, ts speedy expansion, enforced bya grow ing crowd of "feverish friends,” bas led to an increasing nurnber of publications on photography. In addition tothe ro lead ‘ng photo weeklies im Shans and Beijing [Peoples Photography and Photo Newspaper, there are journals and magazines of every orientation and style. For the popular audience, there is Mass (Mass Photography) for the elite, China (China Photograph). For the avant-garde, Modera (Modem Photography, of InPhotogsaphy) i the pio reer; for the experimental type, Youth (Youth Photography) leads the pack. Oo the conservative, leftist side you bave International International Photography); fm the more liberal, rightist side there is World (The World of Photography) Looking at this extensive list, one would be erazy 10 add another new ttle tot." Nevertheless, the writer of this foreword tried to justify the launching of Chinese Photographers. According to him, there ‘was tll much room for new publications, especially if they offered more concen. trated studies of individval photographer. This agenda, adopted as the mandate of thine journal, indicated a shift of imerest, from acquiring general knowledge in world photography to developing close analyses of individual styles. Other Chinese photography journals published in 1988 reveal similar tendencies. The straightlor- wardly titled Photography. (Sheying), published in Shenzhen that year, organ: ined its fist issue around six foreign photographers and seven experimental Chinese photographers. Even the veteran InPhotography subely changed direction No longer fering short introductory cesaya on such general topics as abstract photography or surrealist photography, its 1988 issues focused on cutting-edge pho- rographers and their works ‘This shift, in earn, indicated thar by the late 1980s, photography in China had basically “caught up” with the rest ofthe ‘world. A considerable number of photog raphers had been practicing fora decade, and had established track records that showed continuous artistic development. ‘The intensive introduction to the history of photography, conducted by a host of popular journals and magazines over sev eral years, had much improved the public ‘understanding of chis art. Several large scale conferences on photography, taking place in Hangzhou, Wubv, Xian, and ‘other cities from 1986 to 1988, helped bring the study of photography and photo raphic theory t.2 new level These meeting included discussions of such issues a the subjeccivity of photography, the return to realism, and the clasionship between pho- tographic theory and general aesthetics. While most papers presented at these con- fecences dealt with theoretical matters, Some scholars and cites began to summarize recent experiences of Chinese photography in the Form of historical surveys. = Documentary photography came to domi- nate the New Wave movement in the second half ofthe 1980s." Like those of the documentary movemeat in the 19308— in he United States, Chinese documentary mvorks were closely related to the social de political context of eheir times their Concent, form, and topes served the social programs that the photographers aspired fo undertake, Generally speaking, these trotks followed two main directions, both fescling against che party’ propaganda art {ling and after the Caleural Revolution. ‘Te fits developed as a branch of native seil art (iangtu meishu), a0 important tistic genre in thexyBos that advocated fepresentations of ordinary people and suhat the photographers save as the time [ess spirit of Chinese civilization. The second dreetion echoed sear ar (shangher Incishu) and scar literature (shanghen ‘vensue), focusing on human tragedies in Chinese sociey Both trends started in the late 19726, ‘One of the earliest native soil phoro- ftanhic projects was conducted by Zhu Xianmia, who made eight trips to his omstown on the Yellow River (commonly ‘nsdered the cradle of Chinese cviliza tion) from 1979 to 1984 0 photograph Jocal people and thei ives* When photo ‘lube emerged in the provinces in the ‘usly-1o-mid-1980s, many of them took as ‘their mission “the search for the roots of fr national culture.” Among these clubs, she earliest and most famous was the ‘Shaanxi Group (also known as Xibefeng oo the Northwest Wind), whose motto back tothe real” (fugu siansbi) provided ap explicit counter to Mao's futuristic evolutionary realism (ftG. 10). This approach was also accepted by photoges: piers in major cities. Wang Zhiping and Wang Miao, veterans of unofficial photog: Taphy in Beijing, joined thie trend and ondcted a prolonged field survey in ‘oral west China. Whea their photographs appeared in 1985 issue of IsPhotceraphy;, the accompanying text was welcomed by Fellow photogeaphers as « manifeseo for this type of documentary phorogeaphy: They wrote, “We believe that genuine beauty, greatness, and eternity can oaly exist in che depth of ordinariness. «We tay t0 portray you (.e. China) with our esponse 0 yous real appearance, not to sive you 2 smiling face found om every fashion magazine's cover." At thie point, however, what were imagined to be reeords cof rel people began to take on overarching symbolic significance, and the photogea phers, driven hy idealism, adapted a chetorie that verged on nationalist propaganda, ‘Although both kinds of documentary photography emphasized a plain, down: to-earth style and played down she pho: tographer’s mediation between reality und representation, the native soil type pro- duced ahistorical, romantic images with a steong ethnographic interest, while the scar type was by nature historical and eri ical, visualizing recent Chinese history 35 series of discrete images that spoke of shaman experience during social or natural disasters. In many cates images ofthis sec fond eype recorded historical events that would otherwise have been lost. Ths is ‘why some writers have raced this ype to the April Fith Movement in 1976." Made by amateurs, these unpolished images ner ertheless preserved traces of a distinct moment in modern Chinese history; the memory clinging to them gave them an almost talismanic quality (ste FCS. 1,2) ‘These April Fifth phocographs also initiated nother important teadition a880- ciated with this type of documentary photography: the rhetoric of an emotional language that has come to regulate the per ception and evaluation of documentary images. According to this rherore, visual records of historical events or social phe nomena are expected to be direct powerful, and moving, evoking strong ‘emotional responses from viewers Sophisticated works from this histori cal, critical teadition of documentary photography began to emerge in the late » 19708, Continuing the Apel Fifth legacy, some photographers developed projects 10 Aepict aspects of Chinese society that had ‘uded artistic and media representations. One such project was Li Xiaobin’s Shangfangsbe—People Pleading for Justice from the Higher Authorities. le deal with fn important tosial phenomenon ignored by most artists and reporters: teas of thou sands of such shongfangche, often vietims ofthe Cultural Revolution in remote areas, Flooded Beijing's steets from 1977 10 1980. Unable to find justice through the local judiciary systems, they went 10 the Chinese capital to present their cases directly 10 the central government. ‘Traumatized and exhausted, they waited for weeks and even months outside the Justice Department, Ministry of Internal Aifairs, or Deparment of Public Security, hoping 10 receive a response 0 thei appeals. Few of them succeeded in achiev ing even this most rudimentary goal, however, so they continued ro wait, often until they were forced to return home, Li Xiaobin took about one thousand photo araphs of these homeless and hopeless people. One of his pietares—arguably the mest poignant work of Chinese ocumentary photography from this period—capeures the image of a haggard shangfangzhe wandering next to Tiananmen Squate (rc. 12). yes unfocused, he seems disoriented and ina trance. Yet he stil has several lige Mao buttons—symbols of loyaley to the Chairman during. che Caleural Revolution—pinned on his rat tered clothes. This image aroused strong. reactions—both sympathy and rellection— tee its publication. Many viewers sensed in it an implicit criticism of Communist rule, which had ruined millions of people's lives and abused their hopes for a beter China. Onee again, a documentary image became a visual symbol with a meaning extending far beyond the photogeaph’s specific conentat“These two types of documentary pho- “tography developed in concert and were fearuted abundantly in photography pabl ations and exhibitions after 1985. What followed was an intense search for new documentary subjects hy individual ait. Unspeifc subject often eame co distinguish a paricular photographer: Wa Jialin feeame Known for his ethnographic “inages ofthe Ws people in Yunnan (r fia}; Yu Deshui won several prizes for ecording lives along the Yellow River ‘nc, 3; and Lii Nan and Yuan Dongping spent years photographing mental patients ih asylums around the countey (Ete. 14), ater Lii discovered a new subject in ‘underground, rural Catholic churches, While Yuan embarked on a large project cntitled People of Poverty (Qtongren) Works by the last ewo photographers sy ‘thesized scar and native soil traditions, ‘and therefore also departed feom both “Their subjects—mencal patients, blind and fetarded childven, dysfunctional eldeely people, and the homeless—are ordinary, but they are also wounded and ignored “Their problems are nor caused by particu- Jar political or social evens; infact the ceaxons for their injuries ace relatively ‘unimportant in these works. One ean no Jonger find in them rhe tension-ridden scenes of confrontation in Li Xiaobin's social images, while the romantic aestheti- caation of the ordinary in native sol artis “ko avoided, The arts have moved aveay from the earlier narrative or poetic modes and have relied instead on a ess impae | sioned mode of presentation that allows _ theimages to speak for themselves. Responding to the search for new doc- lumentary subjects bur also to the rapid ‘ransformation of the Chinese city, an Increasing number of photographers were tracted to urban scenes—the changing cityscape, the rains of tradixional buildings snd lifestyle, the invasion of Western cul- fre and rhe marker economy, and the vem urban population and oceupations. “heir initial works, however immediately exposed the limitations of the conven: tional documentary. style, which sas supposed to he naturalistic and objective, land at odds with the tansient nature of the contemporary city and the photogra~ hers? seléinvolvement in urban lives Consequently, some photographers such 8 Gu Zheng, Mo Yi, and Zhang, Haier, began to develop new concepes and lan~ [guages that allowed them not only £0 Fepresent an extemal ceaiey but also to respond to realty Among them, Zhang Hosier most successelly made the eans- tion feom documentary to conceptual photography. Combining flash with slow shutter speed, his images of Guangzhou's vest scenes seem both real and artificial from the dark background his distorted and blurey face emerges, screaming toward the eamera (P16. 15). Zhang's portraits of Guangzhou prostitutes were the earliest such images, which later became a sub- ‘genre in urban representations (FIG. 16) Instead of decaching himself from his sub jects a8 3 typical docementary photographer would do, he made hie communication with these young women the real point of representation. Looking at these images is ro look inco the prostitutes" eyes, and there we find the photogeapherslene exiscence.* At this point, roward che end of the rofos, the New Wave movement had largely accomplished its mision of restor- ing photography’: status as an art in China. A new kind of phorogeaphy was emerging that allied itself with the bur- soning avane garde at.” Almost instantly, ‘caught the ateeation ofthe international art world, Zhang Haier and four other ‘young photographers were invited o par- ticipate in the 1988 Arles Photography Festival in France. Such interest from abroad encouraged other Chinese photog raphers to explore new territories beyond documentary photography and art photog raphy. While Chinese phocography seemed to be entering a new stage, this development was suddenly halted by «political event: the government’ violen suppeesion ofthe June Fourth Movement (the prodemocratic sadent demonstration in Tiananmen Squaee that ended in bloodshed on June 4, 1989). ‘avantgarde art war banned afterwards Tor the next two to three years, 20 trroundbreaking photography exhibitions were organized and existing photographic journals only feataeed works devoid of politcal and artistic controversy. In this stmosphere, art photography and dacu- mentary photography were both tamed to hecome part ofthe oficial establishment. “This period of repression exeated a signif cant gap. in contemporary Chinese Photogeaphy. When a new generation of photographers reemerged in the early-to- ‘mid 1990s, they were challenged not only to create new images but also 1o reinvent theieideniie as independent (EARLY 19905 ‘ro THE PRESENT) Like experimental art experimental pho: tography in China is 9 specific historical phenomenon defined by a set of factors, among which the aris’ social and profes” sional identity is a major one." This photography first emerged in the late 980s, but only became @ trend in the cearlysto-mid-r990s.” Before this, photog raphy had basically developed within the self-contained field of Chinese photogra- phy (Zhongguo sheying), constituted by ‘variont art insitations including schools ‘and research institutes, publishers and gal: levies, and various associations of Chinese photogeaphers within the state’ adminis trative system. Even though amateur snd ‘unofficial photographers played a leading role in the New Wave movement, in their sffore to reinvent these institutions they ‘eventually had to join them. ‘This situation underwent a fandamen- tal change ia the 19960, when a group of young photographers organized commni= ties and activities outside the institutions ‘of Chinese photography: They owed theleindependent status, c0 large extent, 0 their educational and professional back ground, Some of them were self-taught photographers who collaborated wich experimental artists; others began their ‘aseers as avant-garde painters and graphic artats, but later abandoned brushes and ‘pens for camerss. In either case they had ew tos with mainstream photography, but constituted a sub-group within the camp ‘of experimental artists, As concrete proofs ‘of this identity, these photographers often lived and worked together with experi mental artists, and showed their works slmoatexclisively in unofficial experimen tl art exhibitions." Unlike the amateur photogeaphets of the 1970s andz980s, hose career paths often ended with appointments in professional intiutions, the experimental phorographers of the 19908 insisted on their outsiders’ postion ceven after they became well known. This ‘was possible because Chinese experimental are was rapidly globalizing during this period, appearing frequently in interna- tional exhibitions and also becoming a commodity in the global are market In thie new environment, experimental pho- tographers could claim an independent ot alternative status domestically, while col- Iaborating with international colleagues, dealers and museums abroad. TIaece events in the first half of the 19908 played pivotal roles in the forms tion of this new unofficial photography, ‘The fist was the organization ofa series of Document Exhibitions (Wenxisn shar) that helped sustain artistic experiments tion ducing a difficule period: responding to the offcial prohibition of avant-garde are instituted immediately after the June Fourth Movement, a group of art critics designed this exhibition format in r991 (G16, 17) (second and third shows were held in ag92 and ro94, respectively). Consisting of photographic records and reproductions of recent works by unoffi- cial artists, it traveled to different cities and provided an important channel of communication among these artis through= ‘out the country. Although the organizers of this series defined the echibited images as documents, not real art objects, co the Derticipating artists the photographs, espe- cially those recording performances and temporary installations, were their works, “The situation became more complex when 2 performance was photographed not by the artist but by a collaborating photogrs pher. Quettions about such an image included whether ie was an unmediated record of the original art project, o shold also be considered a creative work of the photographer, This and other questions led to discussions and debates about the nature of art media and about phoro- sraphic representations of other art forms specifically. Not coincidentally, the thicd Document Exhibition had the subtide Revolution and Transformation of the Art Medivm (Mei de biange). The debate abovt the authorship of performance pho- tography finally subsided im the lave 1990s. Many performance artists began £0 document their own works, assuming the function of a photographer, while am increasing number of experimental photographers designed and conducted performances for photographing. Both Apptosches reflect a forther internalization of interactions between differen art forms snd medi, “The second landmark event in the evelopment af experimental photography twas the establishment ofthe Eset Village, community of experimental painters, per formance and installation artists, and photographers on the eastern fringe of Beijing (F16. 18). Most of these artists ‘were immigrants from the provinces, who moved into this tambledown village feom 1995 to 1994 for its cheap housing, and soon discovered their common interests and began to conduct collaborative art projects." They also developed a close felationship to thei environment—a pol luted place filed with garbage and industria] waste—as they considered moving there an act of selt-exile. The most crucial significance ofthe East Village community, however, les in its formation as a close alliance of performing artists and photog- rapes who inspired each other's work by serving as each other's models and audi- ‘nee. Many memorable photographs from this period, such as Xing Danswen and Rong Rong’s records of avant-garde per formances by Zhang Huan, Ma Livming, sand Zhw Ming, directly resulted from this alliance. Viewed in the context of experi meatal nese art, however, his alliance also initiated one of the most important evelopments of the mid-r9905, when ‘experimental artists working in diferent media increasingly envisioned and designed their works as performances; many of these artists were also increasingly atcracted by photogcaphy, not only deriving inspiza- tion from it but also making photographs themselves. “The third event was the appearance of new types of experimental art publica tions. After the June Fourth Movement, the two most influential journals of avant garde art the 1980s—Chinese Fine Arts Weekly (Zhongguo meishu bao) and ‘Trends in Art Theory (Meishu sichao)— were banned by the governments the existing art journals largely avoided con- trovetsial issues for political security. In response, some unofficial artists and art critis launched their own publications to faciliatethe development of experimental art Among these publications, the most daring one was an antitled volume known a8 The Book With « Black Cover (Heipé shu) Privately published by Ai Weite, Xe Bei, Zeng Xiaojua, and Zhuang Hei in 1994, it introduced « new generation of experimental Chinese artists to the world Significantly, the volume featured photog raphy as the most important medium of experimental art: readers found in it the earliest reproductions of Bast Village performance phocographs, as well a con ceptual photographic works by Ai Weiwei, Geng Jianyi, Lu Qing, Zhang. Peili,ait lime a eehao Band, nd. Zhu Fadong (ries. 9, {ao}. Avant-garde serials dedicated exclu “ively to photography only appeared in 996 a8 represented by New Photo (Xin “heying)16. 22) Lacking both the money {fox printing end a license for public dise- hurion, ity two ediors, Liu Zheng and ‘Kong Rong, resorted to high quality pho- ‘ocopying and produced only twenty r0 ‘hty copies ofeach issue. The first issue hore @ preface entiled “About “New “Mhoeography."” which defined this art in “terms not of content or style but the ‘artist's individuality and alvernative iden- ‘iy. This definition changed a year later, however, as the tworsentence intaduction “tothe third issue dec When CONCEPT enters Chinese photography his.as if a window suddenly opens in a oom that has boon eeoed for years, We con ‘now breathe comfortably and 100 now reach “a aw meaning of "new photograph.” “his statement reflected an impostane “change that oceuced in 1997, when exper- ‘mental Chinese photography came 10 be ‘cusled with conceptual photography. Until “then, experimental photographers had “identified theie act mainly through nega- tion-they established their alternative ‘position by divorcing chemselves from “mainstream photography.” But now they “sho hoped to deine experimental photog: “raphy asan art with its ows intzinsi logic “which they found in cheories of conceptual fart. This theoretical interest prompted “them to form a new discussion group—the Frery Satueday Photo Salon (Xingailia ying shalong)—in Seprember 1997. The sibition they organized in conjunction wth the salon’ fist mestng, ented New “Photographie Image (Xin yingwiang) and dina theater near the Pan-Asian Sports “Yillge in noeth Beijing, was the fret com: “Pichensve display of Chinese conceptual ‘photography. Dao Zi, the project's aca- fmic advisor, wrote a highly theoretical teeatise for this exhibition, interpreting “new image™ phorography as a conceprual at advanced by avantgarde Chinese artists under China's postcolonial, pose ‘modern, and postautocratic conditions. Tr would be wrong, howerer, to con- ceive of experimental phorography in the 19908 a8 comprising two diserete sages separaced by this theorization peocess. In fact although lacking a clearly arciculated self-aveareness, the rise of experimental Photography in the carly and mid-gos already implied a movement toward cow ceptual art, which gives priority co ideas lover representation. Throughout the 19998 and eatly 20008, experimental phorograe pers also continuously found guidance in postmodern theories, conducting experi= ments to deconstruct reality. No longer snerested in capeuring meaningel moments in life, they instead focused on the manner fr vocabulary of artistic expression, and fought hard to control the situation within which their works were viewed. This emphasis om concept and display has led £0 wide range of constructed images; the i uation can be compared with American conceptual photography of the 1970s, described by the poet and art historian (Corinne Robins in thete words: Photographers concentrated on mating xp ‘or creating scenes forthe camera in orm of ‘heir cw inner vision, To them. realism belonged Uo the earlier history of potogre phy and, a seventies ates, they embarked Coma diferent kindof aesthetic quest. Twas ot, however, the romantic symboliam of photography of che 29202 and 19305, with its emphasis om the abstract beauty ofthe object, that bad caughe reir attention, but rather a new kind of concentration on nara tive drama, on the depiction of time cages inthe cameras ftomal moment, The photo g7aph, instead of being. presented as 4 depiction of reality, was mow something created to show as things that were felt rather than necessarily seo as ‘Taking place twenty year lates, howeres “replay” of this history in 19908 China has produced very different results. Backed by pottmodeen theories and utilising state-of the-art technologies, experimental Chinese photography has also ove actively inter fcted with other art forms including performance, installation, sculpture, sitespecific art, advertisement, and pho. tography iself,teansforming preexisting images into photogeaphic “re-representa rions."*" Again, this tendency frst surfaced inthe early-to-mid-19908; although some emerging experimental phorogeaphers such as Wang Jinsong, (CAT. 62, #16. 22) seemed to continue the straight, documen- tary wadition, their works actually reconfigured fragmentary, —aevidental images and inscriptions into new compos tions and narratives. Lin Zheng, on the other hand, photographed manufactured figures including mannequins, statues, wax Figures, and live eableaux, and mixed sxe phorographs with images in che conven: ional documentary style (CAT. 13-26, 450-54). The lyering of representations in this assemblage effectively erased. any sense of real exittence and experience. While thee three artists approached real ity ssa deposit of eadymade photographic materials, roward the late 19908 and early ‘20008 (and hence encouraged by the defi nition of experimental photography 4¢ conceptual art, more and more acts ete sted objects or scenes an the subjects of Photographs. Such projects as Wang Qingsong’s computengencrated images of monuments (cat. 27), Hong Leis painted lover images [cat 35 10h and Zhao Shaoruo's reconstructed historical photo graphs (car. 32,331, have consciuted the majority of experimental photographs since 1997. This type of constructed photography could be seen as performance, not only because it involves actual performances and displays elaborate technical showman ship, but also because it takes theatricalityas 4 major point of departure. Artists ‘nore in visual effect becsin increasingly strong after 1997. IF earlier conceptual photographers, euch as Geng Jianyi and Zhang Peli, enhanced the concepeual qual lay of their works through cepressing visual atractiveness (see FG. 19, visitors to today’s exhibitions of Chinese photog raphy are often overpowered by the works? starting size and bold images, which not only rely on new imaging technologies but, more importantly, reveal the photogra~ pers’ penchant for such technologies (0, 25) To stadents of experimental Chinese photogeaphy (and experiments! Chinese art in general), thie two-fold interest in performance and technology i extremely important, because it reveals an obsessive pursuit of daegdaiing of contemporaaciy Here contemporaaeity doesnot simply pertain to what is here and now, but is an icentional artistic construct that asserts a particular historicity for itself. Ie may be said this construct is the ultimate goal of experimental Chinese art. To make their works contemporaey, experimental artists have most critically reflected upon the con- ditions and limieations of the presen, and have conducted numerous experiments to ‘transform the present into individualized references, languages, and points of view: “Theis pursuit of contemporineity continu ‘ovsly underlies theis fascination with postmodern theories, stactling visual effects, and state-of-the-art technologies, “The same pursuit also explains the content of their works, which deliver unambiguous social and political messages and express strong assertions of individuality and selFidentity. Infact, these works can be properly understood only when we associate them with China's curene transformation, the ongoing process of globalization, and the artiste’ vision for themselves in a chang: ing world. The four sections of Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video from China, focusing on history and self, the body, and people and place, encapsulate some of the major themes of these works, ‘Works in the fies section ofthis exhibition tefer 10 China's history and represent col lective and individual memories, reflecting the artes” particular historical visions and autistic aspirations. Some of these images feature famous historical ste, particularly the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, important symbols of Chinese civilization and the nation. Both Hong Let and Liv Wei take the Forbidden City as thei subject: Hone’s carefully crafted scenes of a mut: lated bird lying in the former imperial palace fuse traditional melancholy with the contemporary fascination with vio lence (car. 9, x0}. Lin's computer: ‘generated images derive inspiration from, traditional puppet theater to allude to a soure intrigue (ear. 11), Ma Liuming’s photograph records one of his perform ances on the Great Wall, in which he walked stark naked along the wall until his feet bled (car. 17). Entitled Fer-Ma Lining Walks on the Great Wall the per formance was conceived a¢ an interaction berween the artist androgynous alter-ego (Fen-Ma Liuming) and the national mon rest. With long hain, an expressionless face made up with cosmetics, and supple limbs exposed in. abandon, this con: structed self-image heightens his sexuality and independence. In contrast 0 such works that contem plate China's nationhood and cultural ‘origins, some images inthe exhibition res urrect dark, painful memories from the ‘country’s past, Wang Youshen’s Washing: ‘A 1941 Mase Grave ie Datong (est, 28) is ‘one of the most poignant examples inthis group, This installation consists of newspa per pages on the wall and photogsaphic images wo large basins under circulating water The newspaper eeports the discovery ‘ofthe remains of thousands of Chinese who ‘were bared alive by Japanese soles during World War 1. The images inthe basins rep- resent these remains. "The wate washes the image away," the artist explained, “just as time has washed people’ memories clear of 6 this acocty that occurred fifey yeas ago." Like Wang Yousheo, Sheng Qi’ iatsrse ies in the historicity and vulnerability of printed Jimages—and hence the existence and imper ‘manence of the history and memory that they preserve, A series of photographs by Sheng repeesents his mutilated hand holding tiny photographs of Mazo, his mother, and himself asa young boy (car. 21-23). While his damaged body (he cutoff one of hie fin gets in 198) commemocates the June Fourth Movement, the black-and-white photos are remains of a more distant part associated with his childhood. Many experimental art projets from the 1990s were relaced to artist’ memories of the June Fourth Movement. Song Done’s Breathing Part 1 and Part? offer ‘exceptionally powerful examples of this type (cat. 24}. The ewo images in this mmini-sequence record a bipactte perform ance, with the fist designed as a tribute to the ill-fated June Fourth Movement. The picture was taken after New Year's Eve, 1996. Holiday ight outlined Tiananmen in the distance. Soag lay prone and motion: less in a desevted Tiananmen Square, breathing onto the cement pavement for forty minutes. On the ground before his ‘mouth thin layer of ie gradually formed, 1 offered this interpretation of the performance photograph when it was first showa ar the Smart Museum of Artin 1999) [nike some early works in experimental Chinese art} Song Dong is wo longer staging 4 real o7 pretend suicide in Breathing Instead be tree t0 inject fe into the deserted aqnare, thereby bringing ws t0 those brief moments in history shen the square was transformed into @ “living place." Ie reminds us that in 2996 the square sul remained an unfeling monolith, Breathing not only represems a continuing ‘effort f0 challenge this monolithic power ‘bt also demonstrates the extreme difficulty ‘ofmaking any change: all Song Dong’ effort produced was a tiny pool of ice, which ds: appeared before the next morning?“goth Sheng Qi and Song Dong connect she present to the past by evoking personal emories, Hai Bo's series of portraits Joc specificaly forge memory links i the ational psyehe, Each series juxtaposes fsvo photographs taken several decades art (CAT. 4-8 ) The Fist, an old group ‘photo, was taken during the Cultural Revolution and shows people in Maoist or jiemny aniforms their young faces glow swith their unyielding beliefs in commu Irsm: The second picture, caken by Hai Bo Simself, shows the same group—or in some cases, the surviving members— _oventy to thicey yeas later, The contrast lpeoncen the images often states viewers. “g almost graphic manner, the two sg segstr the passage of time and ste “up viewers personal memories, Hiscorical memory is also the subject “of Ning Danwen's Bors with the Cultural _Revolstion (cat. 30) and the photo instal ation Womanitiere by Sui Jianguo, Yu “Fan, and Zhan Wang (car. 25), but these sco works give fuller accounts of the lives ‘of specific persons and can therefore be sidered biographical representations. The creation of the second work “responded to the Fourth International “Women's Congeess held in Beijing in 195 Many leaders of women's movements pind the world participated inthe event, “bat they were kept separate from ordinary Chinese people. Reacting to such sepa “onthe three artists created Woman/Here ome pare ofthe international event and herasion."® The insallaton/exhibition stured their mothers and spouses cole: sos of personal photographs and jrabilia (ric, 24). Compiled into lic space, these feagmentary images i the lives of several ordinary Chinese Experimental phorogeaphers tend 10 be intensely concerned with their identiy ‘The result i a large group of self-epresen: tations, including both self-portraits and images of the body. The second and third sections of this exhibition, which include forty-nine works by thirty-two artists, reflec the artists” urgent quest for individ. unity in a rapidly changing society ‘As demonstrated by examples in the receding section, expecimental represen tations of history and memory are inseparable fom art? slbeopresenations and reveal a close relationship between history and self chat sets experimental art, apart from other branches of contempo- rary Chinese are, Although academic painters also depict historical events— ‘often episodes in the founding of the People's Republie—they approach such subjects as belonging co an external, canonical history. Experimental artists, on the other hand, find meaning of the past ‘only from their interactions with i. When they tepeeseat such ioceraction they ‘estomarily make themselves the center of ‘the representation, a+ in Song Dong’s Breathing or Ma Livming’s Fr-Ma Liang Walks on the Great Wall. Mo Yi's Front View/Rear View (ct. 91, 92) is also inspied by the artis’ experience during the fase Fomth Movement: he was throws in ail afer participating ia a demonstra sion in Tianjin. Unlike Song. and Mi performance photographs, Mo's work deconstruct the langage of self port ture. To express his taumatie experience he repetitively obscures his face with a white metal column inseribed with the words "Made bythe Police Deparement."5" ‘These and others images allow us 0 ‘rencralize four basie representational modes or types. The first i interactive in nature: the artist discovers or expresses him or herself theough interacting either with historical sites (the Grear Wall and the Forbidden City) or politcal insticw tions (Tiananmen Square and che police department). Osher works in the exhibi- tion represent the artists interactions wich people in the present, as seen in Zhuang Hui's Group Photos (cmt. 80-82), To ‘Zhuang, taking a picure ofan entire crew Df construction workers, or of the more than six hundred employees of a depart- iment store, requires ptient negotiation as well as skilled orchestration (r1G. 25). Such interaction with his sujects is the eal puspose of his art experiment, whereas the photogeaphs, in which he lbeays appears way over 0 the side, cert fies the project's completion. ‘The second eype of image explicicly iaplays the body, which exper autists employ as an unambiguous vehicle for self-expression. This body art was given the strongest expressions in Beings East Village, where artists such as Cang Xiny Ma Liuming, Zhang Huan, and Zhu Ming developed two kinds of perform: ances characterized by masochism and tender reversal. Ma Liuming’s androgynous alter-ego, Fen-Ms Linming, exemplifies this type (at. 17, 18). Masochism is a trademark of Zhang Huan—almost every performance he undertook involved self ‘mutilation and simulated self-sacrifice, In some cases he offered his flesh and blood {nother cases he tied to experience death, cither locking himself inside a coffinlike etal eate or placing earthworms in his ‘mouth, By subjecting himself ro an unbear ably filehy pebliceolet for whole hos hhe not only identified himself with che place bur also embraced i. (See Rong, ‘Rong’s photographis ofthis performance, (car. 148, 119.) Wich the same spirit Zhu Ming designed a peeformance in 1997 during which he nearly suffocated inside a huge balloon (car. 104). Masochistie body representation took more extreme forms inthe late 19908, a8 represented by several works in Infaruated with Injury, a private experimental ar exhibition held in 1999 in Bejing.‘The thied type of sell-eepresentation also features performances, but she central Figure, whether the photographer ora fl- low artist, disguises him or herself as a fictional character or transforms him oF herself into a symbolic image. A number of ‘works inthis exhibition fal into this eate- ‘G0rs, including Wang Jin's A Chinese Dream (car. 96), Sun Yuan's Shepherd (car. 95), Hong Le's After Liang Kai's (Song Dynasty) Masterpiece *Sakyanners Coming Ou of Retirentent” (ext. 87) and 1 Dreamt of Being Killed by My Father When 1 Was Flying Over an Immortal Land (cat. 88}, and Hong Hiao's Mr. Hong, Please Come In (cat, 86), and I Know Mr. Grob (ear. 83). In these last, ‘wo works, Hong disguises himself as an idealized global citizen” in popular imagi- nation—a_ young entrepreneur in an fopwlent environment served by a white loved servant. Examples of cynical realism, these images employ an iconogra- phy of self-mockery to express a dilemma between globalization and individualiey that many experimental Chinese artists face Rong Rong’s photograph of Cang Xin's performance Trampling on the Face (car. 93} represents a complex performa- tiveiphorographic project thac works within several modes of self and body.” For the performance, Cang made a mold from his ‘ows face and used it to cat fifteen hun- “dred plaster masks ins month. Each mask bore a white paper strip on the forehead, fon which he wrote the time of che cass manufacture, He then laid the masks on the ground to fil the entire courtyard of his house, and also hung some masks on, the walls as witnesses ofthe performance. During the performance, guests were invited so walk on the masks to destroy them, wntl al] these stifcial faces had shattered into shards. Finally he stripped and jumped on the broken masks, using his naked body to fragment them further: Rong’s photograph vividly records this destructive/evocative process. Numerous masks, many of them destroyed ie behind the Figure in the foreground, who holds op mask to cover his face. The date written fn the mask’s forehead is "2: 21-26 rot, November 26, 1994." The mask is dam- aged, with the lefteye and a portion ofthe forehead missing. The figure behind the smask is not Cang Xin, bur Ma Liuming, recognizable from his shoulder-length hate and delicate hand. Here Cang Xin and Na Liuming have interchanged their coes: wearing Cang’s face, Ma makes himself « surrogate ofthe performer and the subject, fof s simulated destruction. But ie was the photographer who designed this perform ance within a performance asa subject to he phorographed, A fourth mode of self-maging is that ‘of self-portraiture, which constitutes an impostant genre in contemporary Chinese ‘experimental art." A common tendency among experimental artists, however, is 2 deliberate ambiguity in portraying their Tikeness, if they feel rh che best wy 20 realize thei individuality is theough self distortion and self-denial. These ambigu- fous images are sill about the authenticity tof the self. But they inspire the question “Is me? rather than the affirmation “Ie is me!™ More than one third ofthe self Portraits by experimental artists in the 400% publication Faces of 100 Artists use this formula. Many such images, such as Lin Tianmiao’s self-portraits, make the subject's image appear blurry, Fagmentary, ‘or in the process of vanishing, Lin's digi tally genezated portrait, four meters high sand two-and-one-half meters wide, is out ‘of foeus and devoid of hai the image thus represses the artse’s female identity bur fahances it own monumentality (CAT 9). Other artists employ different methods to deconstruct theie conventional images. en's Ye Xiughen (cat. 120), for is a concise biography of the artist, consisting ofa series of her 10 pho: togeaphs arranged ina chronological sequence. The poreesits have been eut into insoles and installed into women’s shoes that Yin made with her mother. In so doing, the artist imbued the fragmented images with a sense of vulnerability and intimacy, transforming the standard 1 photos into genuine selF-expressions. Qis Zhijie's photos, Tastoo 1 and Tattoo 2 (car. rx5,-126), result from his persistent experiments to make his own image trans parent The man standing steaight in a frontal pose in both pictures isthe artist, himself. Ia one photo, a large character bu—meaning noe written in bright red across his hody and the wall behind bir Different parts of the characte are painted fon his body and on the wall, When these parts connect to form the character, they create the strange illsion hat the figure’s bor has disappeared, and thatthe charac~ ter has become independent, detached from the body and the wall. In other words, this character rejets the ground and makes the person invisible. The other pietuze employs a similar rchnique, with ‘metal dots attached to both the body and the background. While the body again, seems to vanish, the repetitive dors form an ever-expanding vial field, with nei- ther set boundaries nor clea sgeilication Like Vins photo installation, these two photos by Qiu reflect upon contemporary visual identifications of individuals. The Figure’s unnatural pose and expressionless face make the photos look like 1» piturs. [Asa artist well versed in postmodern the ries, Qin believes chat in this sworld “individuals have been completely trans formed into an information process. Signs and codes have overpowered actual human beings, and our bodies have become merely their vehicles,” These two photos illus trae an answer to the artist's question of how to make such signs and codes—pass- port photos, archives, et —disappear fora second time in a artistic epeesentation. ‘Works in the last section ofthis exhibition respond ro drastic changes in China'scontemporary envicoament—the vanishing ff traditional landscapes and lifestyle, ehe ‘ese of Postmodern cities and new urban taltures and the large-scale migration of populations, Underlying these interest isa generational shife in experimental art: a Inalority of the artists featured inthis sec tion started their careers i the 19905, and Ihave been finally able 0 bid farewell ro the Caltueal Revolution and its visual and ‘ental baggage. They can therefore com- ‘ment on the Cultural Revolution and the June Foorth Movement as events firmly ia the past. At the same time, cey direcly and rigorously intezacr with China's cur ten transformation. An important aspect ‘of this eransformation, one that attracted any artist’ attention, was the rapid development ofthe city. A striking aspect Gf a major Chinese metcopolis such ax Being or Shanghai inthe x9908 and eacly 22008 has been a neverending destruction snd consteuction. Old houses were coming dows every day to make room for new hotels and shopping malls. Thousands and thousands of people were relocated from the ine city to the outskirts. In theot¥, demolition and relocation wee conditions for the capital's modernization. In actual ity, these conditions brought about a ‘growing alienation beewees the city and its residents: they no longer belonged to one soother ‘This situation is the context and the “ontent of many works in experimental photogeaphy of the xyes. In 1997 and 1998, Yin Xiuzhen was busily collecting, 5 she had said, “traces of a vanishing presene™ along the construction site of the Grand Avenue of Peace and Well-being (Ping'an Dadao), an enormous projest funded collectively by the Chinese govern- ‘nent and individual investors witha tral bucget of $350 million. Envisioned as the second largest east-west road across cen ‘tal Beijing, the avenue took up a browd strip of land, some thity meters wide and= Seven thousand mecers Jong, inthe most populated section of an overcrowded city Yin collected two kinds of materials: images ofthe houses (and heir eesicents) before they were demolished, and roof tiles lof the houses after they were demolished, She then used these materiale for various installations (ri, 26) Bearing black-and white photos of rhe demolished houses, the rows of tiles in this instalation have an uncanny resemblawce to a graveyard. In fact, we may think of this installation in terme of a mass grave, only the “dead” here are places, nat people Bur people have indeed “disappeared’ during such demolition and dislocation; and this is exactly the subject of Rong, Rong’s phorogeaphs of Bejing’s demolition sites (cat. 56-58} Devoid of human figures, the half-destroyed houses ace cccupied by images left on walls, which oviginally decorated an interior that has nov become the exterior. A pair of dragons probably indicates a former restaurant; a Chinese New Year painsing suggests similarly teaditional eye, The majority of such “leftover” images are var fous pin-ups from Marilyn Monroe to Hong Kong fashion models. Tora, and even missing large portion ofthe compo: sition, these images still exere an allure lover the spectator, not only through their seductive figures but also through their seductive spatial ilasionism. With an enhanced shree-dimensionality and abun dant mirrors and painting-within- paintings, they eansform a plain wall ico a space of faneasy. These works can be viewed together with photographs by Zhang Dali, the most famous graffiti artiot in China, who developed a personal dialogue with Beijing through his art (PIC. 27). From 995 t0 1998, Zhang sprayed more than two thousand images oF himselt—the pro- file of a shaven Read—all over the city, often in falf-destroyed, empry houses (car. 74-78). He thus transformed these turban rains into sites of public are, how= ever temporarily. The locations he chose for his performance-photography projects often highlight thee kinds of comparisons. se ‘The fese contrasts a demoliticw sce with an official monument. The second con- trasts abandoned reridential houses with preserved imperial palaces, The third con- teas destruction with constraction: sing from the debris of ruined houses ace simmering high-rises of a monotonous, incernational style Zhang's interest, therefore, lies not simply in tepreseating demolition, bat in revealing the different fate of demolished residential houses from buildings that are revered, preserved, and constructed, His photographs thus serve as a bridge from Rong’ ueban ruin pictures o another pop ular subject of experimental Chinese photogmphy fe the 19900 —reprecie tions ofthe emerging cityscape, as sen in Yang Yong’s representations of southern Chinese cities such a Shenzhen (ear. 73). i Tianyuan’s striking triptych Tianyuan Space Station (eat. 49) further demon strates how the new cityscape can reorient a artist's point of view and stimulate hie imagination. The middle panel of the erp sych represents Li standing in front of a modern glass building in central Beijing, His blurry image conceals his identity and ‘the building's international syle omits any local reference—he could be anyone in aay city around the world. Following the building's vertical ins, he saises his head tothe sky. The right panel is « microscopic derail fcom the inside of the hutnan body, infinitely enlarged 10 resemble a cosmic sic nebula. The left abyss amidst a gal panel presents che view ofa returning gaze feom space—an aerial photograph of Beijing. The white ciele on this aerial map indicates where the artist stands inthe city and leads the viewer back to the centr panel. Once viewed on earth, howeves, modern Beijing is again stripped of local features and can be imagined a8 9 space station for its inhabitants. In a very difer: tnt style, Lue Yongiin offers a realistic, cytical view of the new city. Gloomy and depressing, his newly constructed residen tial buildings appear as abandoned rains,Significantly, as promised land has guided him back to the tradition of documentary photogeaphy, in which che power of an image mast Ke it its exploration of truth. The emerging city attacts experimen tal photographers not only with its buildings but also with is increasingly he ferogeneous population. Hu Jieming’s ‘Legends of 1995-1996 (car. 42), for exam pi, registers the arvse’sfaseination with the randomness of urban life. Made of photo transparencies with fragmentary scenes of people and their activities taken from TV and downloaded from the Taternet, this installacion Ieads the audi rejection of the new city cence 10 explore a city by throwing them into a mate. The new Chiese city it repre- sents deliberately rebels against ies predecessor. Whereas a traditional Chinese city has the typical, orderly image of a ‘chessboardlike space concealed inside a walle enclosure, the new city is sprawling yet theee-dimensional, fast and noisy, chaotic and aggressive It refuses to stay quieras a passive objec of asthere appre- ciation, but demands our participation #9 appreciate ir vicaliny To Chen Shaoxiong, a member of the avant-garde Big-Tailed Elephant Group in ‘Guangzhou, a heterogeneous city resem- bles the sage of a plotlesstableaus what unites its characters isthe place they share. “This notion undesies a series of photographs which are conceived and constructed like a series of puppet theaters within the real cityscape, Images in each photograph Belong, totwo detached layers: in front ofa large passersby, shoppers, snd policemen amidst telephone booths, taffc ight, different kinds of vehicles, tees, and anything found along Goangzhow's streets. These images are crowded into a tighe space but do not interact. The mass they form is nev ertheless fragmentary, without order, narrative, oF a visual focus Representing uthan spaces and popula tion, Chen's photos are linked with another popular subject in contemporary ‘Chinese: photography-images of = new uchan generation, or dus ida in Chinese. ‘Works belonging to this category include ‘Zheng Guoge's Life and Dreams of You of Yangiiang (cat. 79), Yang Fudons’s Don’t Worry It Will Be Better (cat. 75, 72), and Yang Yone's untitled instalation (cat. 73) Instead of portaying the lives of lurban youths realistically, these images deliver constructed visual fictions. Each work consists of multiple feames char invite ut to eead them as a narrative unfolding in time, Indeed, such interest in seriality and storytelling may be linked to contemporary Chinete experimental cin- tema, especially the “urban generation” films of the late x990# and early 20008 But the stories in the photographs remain nonspecific or allegorial. What the artists hope to eapture is a cercain taste, syle, and mood associated with this generation ‘of people, and for this purpose they have. ‘created images that are often deliberately trivial and ambiguous. Yang Fudons’s Dow's Worry It Will Be Betzr, for exam- ple, tepecsents + group of Fashionable Shanghai yuppies, inclading 2 girl and sev- «ral young men. 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