10:20 a.m. 2nd of February, 2020, Jingshan Backstreet
At this time, I was still a little unbelieving and I was determined not to experience the regrets of 2003 again, so during the pandemic, I drove out and cruised around, with the camera in my hand.
The first time I went out, I was frightened by the emptiness. I wandered in familiar streets, countryside, scenic spots, the countryside and the surrounding areas were always empty. Even if there was another person, it was a sort of contrast at best. On the free road, I drove from Wangjing to Mentougou and from Changping to Huairou. The cities and villages were fully exposed to the sun, rain, snow and cold wind. There was a new type of coronavirus that we didn't see or understand. These intangible tiny things and the claims about them made the whole world tremble and changed things that we still can't fully understand.
9:55 a.m. 26th of January 2020, Wangjing
10:39 a.m. 26th of January 2020, Imperial College (Guozijian)
11:16 a.m. 26th of January 2020, Huode Zhenjun Temple
12:10 p.m. 27th of January 2020, Liuxin Road
12:56 p.m. 27th of January 2020, Xihuo Road
12:36 p.m. 27th of January 2020, Baimaguan
The photos I took certainly cannot be used for reporting photography, because the shooting is all about personal feelings. Whether these photos can become works of art is not so important, as this is not the whole point. Except for the momentary operation of conditioned reflexes any "artistic pursuit" seems a bit redundant. On the contrary, the time and place in the subject that I have carefully checked is particularly important in my opinion. They maintain the fragility in the image with certainty. The world we built by ourselves suddenly becomes unfamiliar due to the absence of ourselves, which undoubtedly triggers a new look and re-examination of many senses, but this thought process takes some time.
12:51 p.m. 31st of January 2020, The Royal Garden Party
10:15 a.m. 2nd of February, 2020, Di'anmen East Street
12:31 p.m. 14th of February, 2020, A Driving School in Haidian District
12:42 p.m. 14th of February, 2020, Bei'an River
2:41 p.m. 8th of March, 2020, Jingjia Road
12:36 p.m. 18th of March, 2020, Caveman Ruins in Zhoukoudian
3:14 p.m. 14th of April, 2020, Tanwang Road
The opportunity that nature gives us to reflect and learn is always fleeting. Today, amidst the cheers of the comprehensive restart of social life and the rebound in consumption during the Golden Week, that feeling has become blurred. Everything is still happening, while everything seems to never have happened. However, before we have had time to clarify our thoughts, we have to face this overwhelming world.
Fortunately, we have photos. By looking at them, we have enough time to gaze.
Wang Chuan
Professor of Photography Department
Director for the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges, CAFA
Director of Future Image Lab, CAFA Visual Art Innovation Institute
Solo Exhibitions
2020 In Parallel: History and the President
2014 Fleeting Time
2013 Colorful
2011 Re-focus: Dragon
2009 The 8 Great Sites of Beijing
Group Exhibitions
2020 Community－2020 Shenzhen China Contemporary Art Invitational Exhibition
2019 180 Years of Photography in China
2018 The Visual Archive and Cultural Construction in Urban and Rural Transition: A Reporting Presentation of Visual Memory of Tongzhou, Date Management and Application Platform Project
2017 The Silk Road and Celestial Clothes
2016 Spanning Time: Revisiting the Aesthetics of the North Song Dynasty Through Contemporary Chinese Photography
2015 Unfamiliar Asia – 2nd Beijing Photo Biennale, The Matic Exhibition
2014 Future Return: Contemporary Art from China
2013 Aura and Post Aura – 1st Beijing Biennale, The Matic Exhibition
Curations
2018 teamLab ★ Future Park
2016 Unbounded, Photo Tai Bei: Marks of The Generation
The World of Fantasy – Thematic Photography Exhibition
2015 Persistently, Photography 2×6
Image and Text Courtesy of the Artist.
Translated and Edited by Sue and Emily/CAFA ART INFO
