Spanning Time: Revisiting the Aesthetics of the Northern Song Dynasty through Contemporary Chinese Photography

Similarly, in Yao Lu’s other photograph entitled Wine Boat On Pine Creek (2012), smog and fumes surround the lofty mountains in the background. A figure sits in a hut in front of a banner depicting a large-scale Chinese character for the word “demolish,” while another figure is seen hurling garbage. Contrasting the turquoise mesh draped over the mountains, gray smoke emits from an industrial chimney, which clearly articulates the exploitation of natural resources for the sake of urban development, making such environmental consequences an alarming reality.

Other motifs explored in the exhibition include the dragon, a ubiquitous symbol in China, which appears in different representations in many places within the country. In Wang Chuan’s “Re.Focus: Dragon” series (2010–11), the artist takes photographs of dragon imagery found in various regions of the country. By intentionally pixelating specific parts of the image, Wang draws attention to overlooked areas and questions how the mythical connotations of the symbol inhabit the contemporary setting. The self-reflexivity of the photographer is evident, as he deliberately uses the lens to select the desired focus, meanwhile experimenting with the potential of pixels in digital photography. In Re.Focus: Dragon 20 (2011), an actor dressed in a Chinese emperor costume stands on an outdoor stage set decorated with an excess of dragon symbols. The mise-en-scène exudes an awkward sentiment, as the actor seems out of place when juxtaposed against the passersby in modern clothing. Wang deliberately blurs certain parts of the photo with pixels, while some parts remain clear in focus. Such contrast allows viewers to reflect on where the focus should be put in reading such photographs. Other photographs include those of billboards around China and dragon-shaped decorations on the exterior of buildings.