After classic black-and-white photo collections such as "Chronicles of the Great Country" and "Yesterday's Hall", Yan Ming recently released his first color photo album, "Lost Wall". On December 10th, Yan Ming joined hands with the famous film and stage art director Tim Yip, and the five-man band Renke and Mao Tao to share their insights on photography and art with the readers.
The scene of the new book sharing meeting of "Lost Wall".
The creation of this photograph took four years, and Yan Ming's footprints have traveled half of China, but the elements of time and space are hidden here, pointing to the depths of emotion and vision. From a strict perspective, color photography is no longer a reproduction of reality, but an artistic expression that transcends reality, showing the complexity and beauty of reality through color blocks, light and shadow, and atmosphere, reflecting the folk and modernity of art.
The Lost Wall" book cover.
Through the works, see how Yan Ming's personal style is formed.
At the event, the host invited Yan Ming to select several works in "Lost Wall" to start a close reading, and in the in-depth analysis of individual works, the audience can see his understanding of photographic art and the formation process of personal style.
Wooden Horse Under the Bamboo Canopy
In "Wooden Horse Under the Bamboo Canopy", Yan Ming uses strong light and supplemental lighting techniques to capture a seemingly mundane scene, giving it a sci-fi-like three-dimensional feel. This sensitive and innovative use of light shows how he discovers and creates art in his daily life.
The Three Friends of the Sofa
In "The Sofa of Three Friends in the Cold", he depicts the passage of time and the traces of his life by photographing the sofa in the dormitory of an abandoned cement factory. This ** shows his observations of forgotten objects and his attempts to tell stories of the past through them.
Red Vine
Beauty, Red Vine and Beauty embody Yan Ming's observation of the subtleties of life. Whether it's a simple vine pattern or a mural, Yan Ming captures the emotions and stories behind these scenes.
Centralized storage bag
Peach Blossoms on Route 66
In Centralized Storage Bags, Yan Ming photographs a detail of an abandoned prison, revealing its social and historical background; "Peach Blossoms on Route 66" reveals his reflections on the natural and man-made environment, which is not only a record of beautiful scenes, but also a deep reflection on the relationship between humans and nature.
The Big Hand by the Yangtze River
Big Hands by the Yangtze River shows how Yan Ming finds unusual beauty in everyday life. His work often revolves around forgotten or neglected scenes that become imbued with stories and emotions through his lens.
As for the transition from black and white to color, Yan Ming believes that it is not only a change in technology, but also an evolution of artistic expression, an exploration related to creativity. In Yan Ming's view, the appearance of "black and white" is actually "lifting" reality upwards, and there is a position closer to "art". And color is "real", the same as reality itself, so the photographer shoots color**, which is to surpass reality in reality, which is not an easy task.
Yan Ming explains his transition from black-and-white photography to color photography and discusses the impact of this shift on his artistic expression. He emphasized that the choice of black-and-white or color photography is a free decision based on creative needs, rather than a rigid attachment to one form. Although he has long insisted on black and white photography, he has a deep desire for change and speculation. He mentioned that the switch to color photography was a bold attempt that brought new creative possibilities and perspectives. Yan Ming shared how he grasps the essence of artistic creation and pursues authenticity rather than cliché beauty.
As for the accurate expression of emotions, this time it is still placed above the ordinary beauty, and the state, environment, atmosphere, and intention are still higher than the beauty. The portrayal of some small scenes in the pure state of matter should also pay attention to its spiritual characteristics, and achieve tranquility and restraint. Yan Ming took the work "Copper Lotus" as an example, saying that he "should not be deliberately sweet, not a trace of it". He argues that we don't have to impose "hygienic standards" on our work, but that they can exude their own power. So "Sticky Fly Paper in the Abandoned Room" will enter his lens, because it provides him with the motivation to innovate his technique, he said: "I wanted to enlarge this ** into a huge hanging painting in the future and hang it in the museum." ”
Regarding the core image of this photo book, "wall", he once again used "Beauty" as an example to talk about his creative motivation: his predecessors portrayed and placed many important and precious things on the wall. In addition to enclosing the wall, it is also a medium for presenting emotions and aesthetics, and a super framework for wrapping life. The projection of life is replaced on it, and it is never cold, but time, space, history, economy and culture are all on it. The remnant wall is not only fascinating about nostalgia, but also about the evolution and transformation of related content, and it can spoil part of the future.
Yan Ming also talked about his choice of filming locations, especially his preference for abandoned attractions. He explained that these places attract themselves because of their historical and cultural background.
Photography is not only the use of technology, but also the expression of art.
During the book launch, the guests also talked about Yan Ming's photography works in their eyes.
Tim Yip, a self-proclaimed "photography enthusiast", believes that Yan Ming's works are not only visual displays, but also a kind of artistic expression that is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, "If lonely people enter the realm of art, they will see different things", he pointed out that in the work "Wild Flowers in Foreigner Street", Yan Ming is borrowing scenery to talk about something that cannot be explained. And the unspeakable thing is precisely the one that goes deepest into the viewer's heart and connects with his **; Similarly, in the work "Blackened Frame", Yan Ming captures the most sensitive points of the heart with gloss and frame, and sees through the core beneath the surface. Yan Ming's presence can always be seen in his works, whether he is shooting street scenes, still lifes or people, he is always able to leave his mark on his works. He believes that in "The Maid of Zhu Xianzhen", Yan Ming's subject is not a real person, but he captures its emotions.
Wildflowers in Foreigner's Street
The Maiden of Zhu Xianzhen".
Tim Yip pointed out that true photography is not just about recording time, but also about recording the depth of time. For example, "Horse of Shengzhou" shows how photography can transcend time and bring to the attention of the world what no one has paid attention to in the past.
For Yan Ming's color exploration, Tim Yip believes that black and white photography is an abstract record, while color photography is closer to the real feeling of the scene. Tim Yip, who is a photography student and whose book "Gaze: Tim Yip's Photography and Life" is about to be published, presents and explains three of his works in more depth to elaborate on his artistic philosophy.
A Tale of Three Women, New York, 1989.
The Spirit is In, Taiwan, 2005.
Nishina and Mao Tao of the five-man band also shared the most impressive photos from the perspective of photography art lovers with their unique humor and insight, and asked Yan Ming about their doubts on the spot, so that the audience was a little surprised to learn a lot of interesting creative background and tidbits.
Mao Tao pointed out that Yan Ming, who was also a musician in the past, still maintains a "rock heart", which is also the inexhaustible source of Yan Ming's creativity.
In the face of the work "Horse Face", Mao Tao was deeply attracted by the eyes of the horse, and felt the vividness of the animals in ** and the communication with the viewer, and Mao Tao's first impression of "Mountain Temple" was the mysterious and supernatural feeling behind the spirit card. "The Grove with Circumstances" made Mao Tao feel a kind of sci-fi surprise first, as if aliens had really come to this scene.
Horse Noodles "Grove with the Case".
Nishina has an open and multi-dimensional understanding of photography, and he mentions that good photography can trigger a series of associations, digressions, and even misinterpretations in the audience. Photography is not only a use of technology, but also an expression of art, which can show different stories and emotions like magic.
When talking about "Red Steps", Nishina compares this ** to an oil painting, and he appreciates Yan Ming's use of color, saying that the scene Yan Ming captures through his camera is like a painting drawn by himself. For "Red Rockery", Nishina's comments are more intuitive and personal. The association he mentions with Almodóvar's "High Heels" shows how he felt a connection to the art of cinema from Yan Ming's work, although Yan Ming said he did not have the film in mind when he created it.
Red Steps" Red Rockery Yan Ming is a post-70s generation, a native of Dingyuan, Anhui Province, and now lives in Guangzhou. In 2011, he won the Hou Dengke Documentary Photography Award, and from 2014 to 2015, he published a collection of photographic essays "I Love This Romance That Can't Cry", "Chronicles of the Great Country" and a photography album of the same name. In 2019, he published a collection of photography essays "The Wrinkled Child". In September 2021, the photo album "Yesterday Hall" was released.
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