Necessity of the Explanation
By Jiang Ming

It is a challenge to me to compose the plan for the exhibition which has already established the basic frame, but facing these artist's works participating this display, I am very excited. Contemporary art is a historical concept which occurs. In this historical period, facing numerous and complicated works, what we choose, what we retain, what we discard, what we elucidation will provide a inducement, which we unknow, to the future artistic, historian, the scholar and the sociologist. Thereupon we indeed should be more earnest and responsible each time when we meet work related now. I also entertain an extravagant hope that my work can be the one with no prejudice / discount, but this idea has a farther distance to the truth as if. Because we all are a little part of the whole construction, the work we each person does sometimes like taking a part for the whole as well. Perhaps we only can say part of feelings.

Contemporary art by way of one kind cultural phenomenon, we possibly think of elucidating drawing more, because the drawing has the evolution history as the lineal branch of artistic history while the image entered into the river of the contemporary art only when it grafted onto the idea art concept after 20th century 60, the 70's. Before this image had the naturalistic, ease and free looked as if, independent history, but it did not belong to art, for it presented the result just like it was shot by a recording instrument with objective truthfully and without bias / favor, which seemed there was not any photographer existent at all.

However the image is an art which needs explanation mostly, regardless of the image which presented in the traditional way / presented in the idea way. Necessity of the explanation has even surpassed the drawing. Because the subjective mood and idea of a drawer can be caught from the language easily nevertheless the image resembles the innocent realism. Since its backside does not have the innocent eye, there will be no innocent photographic camera. Human's knowledge, the faith, the values and the attitude are affected by the cultural background, which determines the essence of each image artist's work.

China Today's contemporary photography already has broken the limit of tradition and idea, all images have the value of animadverting have become part of contemporary art history date bank. The works participated this exhibition are also part of this huge date base and a supplement to the contemporary art history research.

This display is a persistence of "Meeting place, FotoFest Beijing 2006"(MPFB2006), which was jointly organized by FotoFest International, "China Photographs" magazine, Beijing Q-Image Lab and China Hewlett-Packard Co. limited. MPFB2006 has provided an equal collision platform for the Chinese artists to communicate with the world. In this platform many young artists were talents showing themselves, gradually moved towards the international stage. This participated display artists all come from MPFB2006. The success of "Meeting place" is a good way for the Chinese artist equality moves towards the international artistic stage. This fashion has a important significance of research and reference for us to explores the pattern about Chinese contemporary art internationalization exchanges and operates. In respect that behind the prosperous of contemporary art market is the collusion and cooperation among galleries, auction houses, collectors and so on. In this kind of strict system many young artists as well as some important artistic works certainly do not have coequally participant and revealable opportunity. The success of "Meeting place" not only provided important opportunities for the Chinese young artists especially the photographers, but also has provided the new possibility of the development of Chinese contemporary art market. This exhibition qua a independent item of " DIAF2007" received the China HP's support once again. To participate in planning this event, I am very honored!

Work explanation

Liu Lijie's work belongs to the narrative conceptual work. This kind of work pays attention to the work's narrative as well as which have been expressed in the narrative and literary. Her works is a private narrative, this narrative provides us with individual experience: How individuals survive after they occasionally encountered survival laceration? What is a woman's helpless lonely? Behind these works elaborated actually is today society's ethic question. Each person's personality is a value sense of orde which stochastically forms in the whole social background, it decides the personal life feeling and attitude to life, it also decides a person only can have a life like this but not like that. A life is relaxed and free to a person, may possibly made the other want to die!

Meng Jin's work is the conceptual pop work. Such work dispel the strong spirit system of the elite times. In a commercialized time, all the thing which conflict with the commodity rule, regardless of it once were very formidable and indestructible, all will be a such result: Being destroyed / traded. In the time that pursues commercial profit maximization, they are all inescapable from the fate of these two, the leaders image, the people's hero / beliefs idols in the past heroism era. Its spiritual strength it contained in former days are all substituted for the the daily attributes and usable characteristic of the commodity, as well as the effective judgement of economical profit.

Fang Er's work has the typical character of design, she constructs these impractical spaces by using real pictures, which seem to be the children's carnie. In this kind of space mixed with reality and design, we mankind as the main part fell into a condition of unreal. Where are we? How are our lives, our ethics, our orders, our society designed? Can we have the real status and real destiny? Are we really not the puppets of God? Actually are we designed for who? Who are we designing? Perhaps these questions will puzzle us both spirit and soma forever.

Zeng Han's work is the gloss of reality. Those scenes of on-the-spot record are confused by one kind of replacement imagination. The reality turns to be fuzzy, absurd and unlucky. How is the reality changed? We live in a complex and difficult time. Everything in China is disordered and fuzzy. Nobody knows what is right, what is wrong exactly. Nobody knows why should we continue to live as well. Perhaps we are all waiting for something which destined to happen. Perhaps those things can teach us how to live, how to understand the simplest, the most basic, the most primitive principles of life.

Qiu Zhen's work is the conceptual behavior photography work without doubt, the cooperation of behavior and idea has once saved the photography in a manner. Qiu Zhen's bride is a tradeed spirit, which is chosen by the capital. It is a body of "pure white" whithout "brain". It only has the corpse-like instinct desire. Its apartness which laughs at the poor instead of the prostitute makes us tremble. The socialism and the capitalism are constitutionally different in nature, function and technology of ethics ideology. But they are accessories to the concealed intention: Let the human body have no difference. The socialism made it through the national will while the capitalism through the experience which individual drifts. Both ways make the relation between physics and soul frail. This frail relation lets life lose the time.

Zhu Hao's work questions that is it possible that we have a nice anticipation to the future in an urbanized time? In those ruined pictures, we catch not the happy anticipation with console, but the worry and fear about this crazy time. Is the urbanization really nice? Can they really let us feel happy and is joyful, those people compelled to move, narrowed streets, polluted rivers, artificial trees and lawn, ice-cold construction built by reinforced concrete? I suspect that, many people are suspecting. But why does it continue? What strength is impelling the train which does not permit to turn around crazily to move towards abyss?

Yan ShiĄŻs work belongs to brutal symbolism. He put the animals without skins on the beautiful natural environment so as to artificially make a world full of mystery and frightening people tricky. In this world, human nature of greedy, hypocritical, brutal and bloodthirsty is exposed with nothing left. These images are symbolic argots about realistic prospect of Chinese society. In front of these images, perhaps our conscience is touched instantaneously / we may be shocked by a strength with more formidable, which will be able to save our spirit, belief, and future.

Li Lang's work has photographed "the places like ass didn't wipe cleanly after stool" in a naturalistic way. The beautiful sceneries of these places are destroyed by "the smell of excrement and fart" human left behind. In front of these works, we can not help to question closely: Dose human really benefit this world / ruin it? Former seems can not be the answer. Li Lang's work expresses his sense of urgency about homestead damage and survival crisis, as well as historic reconsideration about modern life idea, through exquisite description to the beautiful wilderness and natural ecology.

Luo Dan's work is on-the-spot record work completely. But the scene the images caught has a effect of hearth quake. In this turbulent time of China, the nightmare of materialism is feezing each person on this land. Thereupon the earth is flooded with crazy desire, preliminary interest, ignorant witchcraft and weird contemporary art. We will feel helpless, confused, painful and absurd when we place ourselves in it. Under this situation, dose our intellectual feelings, our humanistic sense have any value? This is a question indeed, but does not have answer.

Zhu Yan's work through photographing characters scenes in 798 Art District, promulgates the important event has occurred in Chinese present age culture art history to the common people for the first time: the beginning of 798 Art District. This phase of history is the transition of Chinese present age art returns native place from international stage. From that time on, the history occurs in the native place receives more widespread and important attention. These imagesĄŻ significance to the contemporary art historical literature value have surpassed work itself. The importance is not in its explanation but in its historical literature significance.

The resume of the designer: Jiang Ming, also names Wang Baoming, who is a contemporary art critic of China mainland, independent designer and artist. He is having a book, Chinese Postmodern Art , published.