Art through a lens: Five emerging Chinese photographers

Chen Wei, Lie Ren, Maleonn, Yang Yi and Zeng Han. Five artists looking to take the photography world by storm

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Chen Wei: Everlasting Radio Wave (2008).

A second wave of photographers has crashed upon China's artistic shoreline. With them they bring spectacular talent, new philosophies on the function of photography, and no little debate about what exactly the term 'emerging' means in a country whose so-called emerging talent has already caught the eye of many global buyers.

We dare to suggest five "emerging" Chinese photographers to put on your watch list.

Chen Wei: Sand and Nobody No. 1 (2007).

Chen Wei

Hometown: Wenzhou, Zhejiang.
Age: 29.
First photo taken: Age 6.

Fail-safe inspiration:
Uncertainty.

My photography is…
The way I usually do the creation.

Photography really isn't…
Only pressing the shutter button.

What I'm working on now explores...
The possibility of doing things in other ways.

Where would you spend the next five years?
At home.

The best travel destination in China is…
Sichuan because it's a place one can go anytime and yet I've never been there.

Liu Ren: Sleepwalker at the Great Hall of the People (2005).

Liu Ren

Hometown: Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province.
Age: 28.
First photo taken: Age 5.

Fail-safe inspiration:
Dreams, visions for future and life experiences. I was born a sensitive dreamer. My inspiration comes from everywhere: music, drama, shopping, hanging around, appreciating art work and chatting with friends. I record what I see and my thoughts by means of photography, with no rush, but it is essential to my life, just like people need to eat everyday. Sometimes I just feel I was born for this.

My photography is...
The tool to express what I feel. My works are the reflections of my inside world.

Photography really isn't...
Taking pictures or painting. From the history of photography we can see that photography has experienced the stages of taking pictures to producing images and then to create images out of air.

What I'm working on now explores...
The authenticity of the world. Sigmund Freud thought a complete individual consisted of ego, id and superego. The objective world makes for only a part of an individual. Each individual sees a different world so their inner world is more objective.

Where would you spend the next five years?
No particular place. I want to meet my Mr Right, travel with him and then live a happy life ever after.

The best travel destination in China is...
Lugu Lake, Nujiang Grand Canyon, Hakka Earth Building and the Pasture of Gannan. I just Googled some travel destinations and I found that there were so many places I have never been to. Traveling is all about freshness. Places you have never been to are fresh, which makes them destinations.

Ma Liang/Maleonn: What Love is, No. 2 (爱是什么作品第2号).

Ma Liang

Hometown: Shenxian, Hebei Province.
Age: 37.
First photo taken: I was 20 the first time I used a camera. It was in a course on commercial photography at art college. At that time, photography education was quite boring, almost the same as physics courses. I got a bad impression of photography which lead to my departure from it for more than ten years. I picked it up again in 2004 when I got a digital camera.

Fail-safe inspiration:
"The planning lies with man, the outcome with Heaven." [A Chinese proverb] I believe it is only the beginning of a matter that could be under our control, while the following part depends on the destiny. So do not care too much about the result and just try your best. That's the way I'm inspired to face frustration.

My photography is...
The outcome of my observation on this world and our life. Those works are more about self-identification rather than photography itself.

Photography really isn't…
The modern technology has made photography more easy and simple. One can be fond of shooting because of (s)he feels that way, just like breathing or being alive. It is a matter not of deliberate profundity but nature. You can't pretend you're a god through photography. Taking a few pictures can not save the world.

What I'm working on now explores...
My own life and my emotions; they are quite personal. I like the Buddhist idea that people are just like spheres floating solely in the air, the surface of which is like a mirror. It seems each sphere has nothing to do with the others. But in fact, your spirit reflects on the whole world, including the other spheres, the other people. All the other spheres also reflect on you. That's why I believe self-observation leads to exploration of the entire world.

Where would you spend the next five years?
I will attempt some other art forms such as video or installation.

The best travel destination in China is…
The Northwest China, especially Gansu Province, part of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and carry on the old Dunhuang culture. There are lots of Chinese historical sites as well as the vast Gobi Desert. I like the feeling of vastitude and believe those who accustomed to cities ought to pay a visit there.

Yang Yi: Uprooted No. 4: Old Town of Kaixian, Courtyard on Cross Street (2007).

Yang Yi

Hometown: Kaixian, Chongqing.
Age: 38.
First photo taken: 34.

Fail-safe inspiration:
Life, dreams, movies, family and friends.

My photography is…
Exploration.

Photography really isn't…
The moment to make a decision, nor the reconstruction of reality.

What I'm working on now explores...
My potential.

Where would you spend the next five years?
I'm not sure.

The best travel destination in China is…
Tengchong and Shunxiang in Yunnan because you can see the real, traditional beauty of China. I hope it will not get ruined.