黃竹坑Blindspot畫廊正舉行《越近越近》肖像攝影聯展,展出荒木經惟、森山大道、邱良、賴朗騫、張海兒、廖逸君、任航及Nadav Kander等九位攝影師的作品。
現居倫敦的Nadav,以拍攝中國的長江廣為人知,他同樣擅於拍攝人像照片,透過獨特的燈光及視覺效果呈現被攝者的神髓。《時代》週刊曾於2012年及2016年分別邀請他拍攝當年的年度風雲人物——奧巴馬及特朗普,攝影師利用燈光聚焦二人的神情,奧巴馬若有所思,特朗普則一如以往帶著傲氣妄想鏡頭。如今重看這兩張照片,徬彿有種「一個時代的終結」的感覺。

Blindspot Gallery is holding a portrait photography group exhibition entitled “Closer,” exhibiting nine photographers’ artworks, including Nobuyoshi Araki, Moriyama Daido, Ren Hang, and Nadav Kander. Nadav, based in London now, is well known for photographing the Yangtze River in China. He is also good at portrait photography, capturing people’s character through unique lighting.
Time Magazine invited him to photograph Obama and Trump, the Person of the Year, in 2012 and 2016, respectively. He focuses on their expressions with distinctive lighting, Obama looks thoughtful, and Trump seems arrogant. Looking back at the images now, it appears to mark the end of a particular era for the US.
中國攝影師劉錚在1991年到1997年間曾於《工人日報》擔任攝影記者,1994年至2000年間拍攝的《國人》系列,是他的標誌性作品。他幾乎走遍中國各地,拍攝農民、道士、舞女、乞丐、易裝癖者、蠟像人物甚至死屍,捕捉各個階層中國人的形象,每張照片都有一個令人感懷的故事。
劉錚照片中人物的表情、衣著及肢體語言,時而怪誕、詼諧,時而荒謬、沉重,彷彿帶有一種獵奇的眼光,令人想起Diane Arbus的作品。對他而言,這些融合歷史、現實與個人觀點的照片,不僅突破傳統新聞攝影的侷限,從中也有對社會文化及自我身分的反思。
The Chinese photographer Liu Zheng worked as a photojournalist for the Worker’s Daily from 1991 to 1997. “The Chinese” series photograph from 1994 to 2000 is his iconic works. He has traveled across the country to photograph Farmers, Taoist Priest, Peking Opera Actors, Dancers, Transvestites, Wax Figures, and even dead bodies, capturing the Chinese’s miscellaneous life. People’s expressions, clothing, and body language in Liu Zheng’s photos are either absurd or ponderous, and it reminiscent of Diane Arbus’s artworks. For Liu Zheng, these photos that integrate history, reality, and personal views not only break the limitations of traditional photojournalism but also reflect on his self-identity of being a Chinese.
說起任航,許多人首先想起他鏡頭下的裸體男女,有露骨色情的畫面、有充滿幽默的構圖,也有浪漫及詩意的場景,共同之處是他們都赤裸着身體,坦然面對鏡頭。因為這些作品,有人稱他為情色攝影師,有人將他與荒木經惟或Guy Bourdin相提並論,不過對他而言,裸體其實是自然而然的事。
畢竟,平時他與朋友的相處便是赤裸拍照,照片所呈現的內容,正正就是他日常生活的一部分。相片中那些荒誕、滑稽的畫面,大多數情況下並非事先構思,而是他身邊好友的真實生活狀態,所以與其說他的攝影是赤裸的狂歡,倒不如說這些人的日常,本身就是詼諧甚至是挑釁的,代表某部分中國年輕人的次文化。
這種前衛及離經叛道的文化,雖然深受藝術市場青睞,卻注定得不到主流社會認同,他的照片在中國內地備受爭議,作品經常被禁止展示,甚至有人在展覽時向他的展品吐痰。不僅如此,就連拍攝本身有時也一波三折,更試過多次被警察抓捕,不過這些挫折都沒有令他卻步,也沒有阻擋他對身體自由的表達,只是沒有人料到,2017年,他因抑鬱症而了結短短一生。
Chinese photographer Ren Hang committed suicide due to depression in 2017, which shocked the photography and art industries. Ren Hang is known for his erotic images and humorous compositions. For him, being naked is natural, and the nude pictures are precisely part of his friends’ daily life. In most cases, the photos’ absurd and funny postures are not conceived in advance, but his close friends’ real state. It is provocative, yet it somehow represents the subculture of the young Chinese.
Although the art market deeply favors this avant-garde and deviant culture, it is destined not to be recognized by society. His photos are controversial in China mainland and often prohibited from being displayed. Not only that, sometimes even the photographing process can be very frustrating, and he was arrested by the police many times, but these setbacks have not deterred him, nor have they prevented him from expressing his body freely. Yet, no one expected that he was suffering from depression and ended his short life at 30.
中國攝影藝術家廖逸君(Pixy Liao)最廣為人知的作品,是與日本男友Moro的日常自拍照片——始於2007年的編導式攝影作品「實驗性關係」。
在傳統的認知中,男性通常扮演更成熟及保護者的角色,而他們的關係恰恰相反,主導這段關係及照片的,反而是廖逸君。由於她比男友大五歲,這段關係處於女方主導/男方服從的相處模式,她常常以Moro為模特兒,而男友也習慣成為她的拍攝對象。有時,坐在椅子上的廖逸君抱起赤裸的男友;有時,Moro會溫柔地依靠在她肩膀,廖逸君以二人的關係作為創作的靈感,一反女性在攝影中「柔弱」形象,既呈現情侶間的親暱,也挑戰傳統的男女關係模式。

Photography artist Pixy Liao is famous for her long-term photographic project, Experimental Relationship (2007- present), which captured the unconventional self-portraits between the artist and her Japanese boyfriend Moro, who is fives years her junior.
In traditional cognition, men are pretty dominant in the relationship. Yet, their relationship is just the opposite. Moro, under her lens, is quite submissive. Sometimes, Pixy sitting in a chair hugs her naked boyfriend. Sometimes, Moro gently leans on her shoulders. The artist took inspiration from their relationship and staged the different daily scenes. It presents the intimacy between lovers and also questions the gender roles in a relationship.
《越近越近》
時間:即日至5月8日
時間:10:30am – 6:30pm(二至六)
地址:黃竹坑道28號保濟工業大廈15樓Blindspot Gallery
·圖片來自Blindspot Gallery
