Early on my work was inspired by Andreas Gursky and Hilla Becher. It was ordered and precise, but at the risk of becoming visually tedious and restricted. I started to look at the photographs of Alec Soth and Stephen Shore. I kept working and attempting to break stereotypes and boundaries. Gradually my new works started to loosen from the rigid frames and become unbound from technique and experiences.
I was born and raised in China. The content in my work is always associated with personal experience and interests. Years ago I was not satisfied with traveling in China because I thought it's all the same and familiar scene. By chance I worked as a contributor for Getty and National Geographic. I went abroad and tried to find a different world. For the past few years, while working on my BFA in studio art, I’ve traveled all over America and to more than 40 countries, exploring the scene in different locations and cultures. While I traveled, I observed people and landscapes, discovering compelling spots in ordinary spaces.
Then I looked back to China. My familiarity with this location allowed me to look through the obvious and also train my eye on the unexpected aspects of landscape and culture. Moreover, having been away for a few years provided me a fresh perspective and awareness of my homeland. I used different strategies to reveal them, such as adopting New Topographics into Chinese landscapes or blending traditional Chinese painting with western documentary. I also experimented with printing photographs on different materials such as handmade rice paper. This body of work resulted in a photo essay “Listen to the Rivers” that includes photographs of China’s landscape and its people.
Since 2016, I regularly teach and lecture to amateur photographers online on zhihu.com. At times I have had 20,000 people listening to me and asking questions. However, when I speak my thoughts and theories again and again, I start to doubt what I said, what photography is and what purpose it may have.
I now use a range of equipment and materials, to create objects beyond imagery and the flat surface. Meanwhile, I traveled through different environment and cultures to explore diversity and indescribable matters. The observation and record create a terminal that leads the viewers to ask questions. This process is like a sandbox. It builds sorties between visual and linguistic.
