Artist Statement

——Three Gorges Series Photography Work

 

Yangtze River is the longest river in China, one of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Three Gorges is the most essential part in terms of human and natural scene along Yangtze River. The world largest dam project is now under construction in Three Gorges of Yangtze River. It results in numerous ancient towns with thousand years history to be buried under water, and hundreds of thousands original residents had to leave their homes by moving to a new city. Hence, the Nature there will be completely changed accordingly.

 

Warrior in Qin Emperor used to be the unbeatable empire legend in history. In the series of Three Gorges work, Warrior is not indispensable to the Three Gorges, in general. The work uses the long scroll style of Chinese painting, by dividing into two parts, the upper and lower stream. The eight works about upper stream disclose that the 2500-year ancient town has been disappeared after tiring down, while the Warriors in the picture are acted by the workers and original residents, together with the east-flowing Yangtze River and the mysterious city that they are going to move to.  Eight works in the lower stream have three typical scenes of Three Gorges, while the places of Sumen and Badicheng will eventually turn into Three Gorges Dam Project. The people of Warriors in the picture are original residents or tour guides, who make a  living by introducing newly built dam project. It took two years for the artist to complete the photography works before the Three Gorges dam established. The price of the civilization is to destroy the beauty in face of you.

 

 

Three Gorges Series 1

Three Gorges Series 2 

 

 

There is No Heaven Ahead of Us

                                                                  ­—— About Chen Nong’s 《Climbing to Moon》Series

        

《Climbing to Moon》series work by Chen Nong is photographed by Warriors once again. The whole formation in the work, as well as background, remains the same as that in Xi’an (the ancient site). The warriors close their eyes in the picture, giving a feeling that is both real and fictional. Astronaut, as a special symbol, appears in the Moon; it results in a contrast with warriors from visual point of view, thus form a feeling of both integration and false position. The four works linked together are just the surface of the Moon. When astronaut climbs to the Moon, warriors have been found to be there already. Human’s desire extends no limit.

 

        Chen Nong’s photography is just like his name, always filled up with a style of flowing dust. The destiny of Human carries both the past and future; his work rather delivers that Human deteriorate each day, than that Human have no future. 

 

“There is no Heaven ahead of us,

Heaven is where we passed by .”

 

By Xueyi