N I H I L S E N T I M E N T A L G I A,
a blog about photography by Sofia Silva
© Lau Ching Ping, Secret Police at Queen’s pier, from Last Glimpse of Hong Kong series, 2012. © Lau Ching Ping, Schoolmate on Park Island, from Last Glimpse of Hong Kong series, 2012. “To 2013, If you are reading this exhibition epilogue, that means you had survived 2012 safe and sound. People of Hong Kong…
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© Peng & Chen , from the series Face-kini © Peng & Chen , from the series Face-kini In China, it’s the height of the tourist season for Qingdao’s famed beaches. But while many of the town’s visitors want to enjoy the sand and water, they’re not so wild about sunbathing. So they often resort…
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Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, by Alison Klayman, working do**load available here + english subs here
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© Chen Qiulin, Ellisis’s Series No. 3, 2002 (photograph) © Chen Qiulin, Peach Blossom, 2009 (dvd still) At a time when her understanding of contemporary art was still limited, Chen was unexpectedly invited to partake in Parabola, a satellite show of the First Chengdu Biennale (2001). On this occasion she created Ellisis (. . .…
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© Hai Bo, Winter, from the Four Seasons, 2003 © Hai Bo, Shadow 2, 2009 Time and memory weave through Hai Bo’s work, as they have for the last 20 years. For one series, They, he obtained souvenir-photos from family friends and acquaintances taken during the era of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Often these were…
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© Li Yun, For Individual Use, from the series Impermanent Instant, 2008 © Li Yun, Connecting Wire, from the series Impermanent Instant, 2008 “We Chinese people are struggling in the whirlpool of cynicism with no exception. This is my understanding of the current times. With frenzied emotions and twisted bodies, we are marching forward with…
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© Jiang Zhi, On the white #4, 2007 © Jiang Zhi, Love Letters No.6, 2011 “Oneness and unity only rests in ‘word’, never in the ‘matter’. I recall a conversation with a neurologist about whether ‘insanity’ exists, and if it did, how. We arrive at an interesting concept, that we were not very interested in…
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© Chen Wei, Broken Aquarium, from the series Everyday, Scenery and Props, 2009 © Chen Wei, Idol behind the curtains, from the series Everyday, Scenery and Props, 2009 “The photography/installation works of 31-year old artist Chen Wei illustrate an intricate imagination fascinated with the eccentric and fanciful pursuits of early science, mathematics, alchemy, philosophers and…
Read More© Caï Hongshuo, New Anecdote of Social Talk, n°17, 2008 © Caï Hongshuo, Work ladder to the heaven, 2008 “L’œuvre photographique de Caï est cohérente et stylistiquement reconnaissable. Focalisé sur les jeux de lumières et de contrastes proposés par le noir et blanc, l’artiste nous propose des clichés semblant sortir d’un univers fantastique et onirique.…
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© Qiu Minye, #2, from the series Who are Who © Qiu Minye, #8, from the series Who are Who A few words about this project can be found here, along with a series of images
Read More© So Hing Keung, Reincarnation of Matter #4, 2010 © So Hing Keung, Reincarnation of Matter #4, 2010 So Hing Keung’s photographs are full of humor. He is trying to bridge the Taoist idea of reincarnation and recycle together with the act of ChouDu (超渡), which means aiding the idling or loitering spirits to detach…
Read More© Liu Yue, Mountain Blossom #4 © Liu Yue, Mountain Blossom #11 “This city is not about other people or buildings or streets but about your mental structure. If we remember what Kafka writes about his Castle, we get a sense of it. Cities really are mental conditions. Beijing is a nightmare. A constant nightmare.”…
Read More© Kurt Tong, Untitled, from the series People’s Park © Kurt Tong, Untitled, from the series People’s Park © Kurt Tong, Untitled, from the series People’s Park “Last year I was helping my mother sort out all the family photographs. Apart from the customary family portraits in front of the same Christmas trees and behind…
Read More© Huang Quingjun & Ma Hongjie, Untitled, from the series Family Stuff, 2005-2008 © Huang Quingjun & Ma Hongjie, Untitled, from the series Family Stuff, 2005-2008 “Time is in fact the secret protagonist in these photographs. Every picture shows its effects and relativity: It eats away at aged houses soon to be replaced by modern…
Read More© Steve Aishman, Untitled, from the series Death & Candy © Steve Aishman, Untitled, from the series Death & Candy “No one ever really gets over learning about death. Steve Aishman’s latest body of work, “Death and Candy”, explores the associations we all have with death. Like remembering the sweet taste of the bubble gum…
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© Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Untitled, from the series The Day after Valentine, China, 2006 © Scarlett Hooft Graafland, Untitled, from the series The Day after Valentine, China, 2006 “A Chinese legend tells us the story of seven girls travelling up and forth from heaven to earth on Valentines Day on the head of an…
Read More© Zhang Huan, Shanghai Family Tree, 2001, Shanghai, China “Family Tree broadens this vein of exploration to describe the domestic scene as a site of initiation into ideology. The photographic series comprises nine sequential images made at regular interval from dawn until dusk on one day. Again, they all feature the face of Zhang Huan,…
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© Muchen and Shao Yinong, Shenfan © Muchen and Shao Yinong, Shen “Husband and wife Shao Yinong & Mu Chen work together in Beijing to create photographs that illuminate the facets and functions of memory – a poignant process in China where a conservative agricultural society has been propelled within a few decades into…
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© Shen Wei, Mireille, 2008, from the series Almost Naked © Shen Wei, Steve, 2006, from the series Almost Naked “Growing up in Mainland China, I was brought up strictly and conservatively, any untraditional and unconventional ideas of life-style can sometimes lead to misconceptions. I was numbed about the ideas of intimacy, sexuality, and…
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© Wang Qingsong, Tramp, 2004 © Wang Qingsong, Night Patrol, 2005 ” I think it is very meaningless if an artist only creates art for art’s sake. For me, the dramatic changes in China have transformed China into a huge playground or construction site. Whenever I go into the city I feel suffocated by the…
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