From the 5th of October to the 30th of December, Phot’Aix in Aix-en-Provence welcomes China: the works of five Chinese photographers paired with five French photographers are being shown in the old Collège des Prêcheurs and in the Aix-en-Provence town centre.
Each time I go back to the Tree Gorges, I imagine them in ancient times. And yet, the position of the stars has changed, the seasons have passed by and the landscape seen today is different from what was there before. The original Three Gorges of antiquity, poetic and mysterious, have become the modern, political and economic Three Gorges. On top of the changing landscape, progress has also overturned the region’s inhabitants’ way of life. Their spiritual and cultural aspirations have also changed a lot.
When I walk by the dam waters, I like to imagine being accompanied by the famous poets of the past: Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi… all travelling with me. What would they think, finding a great dam in the Three Gorges? Would they be seized by poetic inspiration?
My emotions express themselves through images. In this fantastic place, I give my imagination free rein while always retaining the same pleasure. I hope to share my dream with you with this photographic work.
The situation changes as time passes, but my soul doesn’t ever feel alone because the spirit and the culture are always passed on. In ancient times, Li Bai and Du Fu composed their poems to express the emotions they felt before the beauty of nature; were they as much inspired by the landscape at the time? Qu Yuan sacrificed his life to save his own country, but do such people exist in our own times? We become more impetuous, more blind, we pay more attention to so-called Development, the so-called Economy. But does our soul advance? Does our mind become purer? If we don’t find any answers, nature will give us the best advice!
I cut out silhouettes of these famous men from classical culture and carried them on my back, as if we were travelling together in the Three Gorges. Then I set them up in the landscape. A thousand years ago, classical paintings showed the Three Gorges landscape in the background. So I used digital technology to mix the ancient landscapes with the landscapes photographed today. I also decided to show these works on long vertical scrolls, following the model of the traditional paintings.
With this work, during my visits to the Three Gorges, I recreate a dialogue with the ancients, it’s like a ceremony to get away from modern life. The landscapes created in these images remain with us…
Li Ming
Li Ming is a photographer, Director of Photography at the magazine River Geography Culture, a member of the China Association of Photographers and a member of the Chinese Society of Photojournalism.
Phot’Aix
From 5th October to 30th December 2017
In the streets of Aix-en-Provence
France
https://www.fontaine-obscure.com/pages/photaix_parcours.htm
