Ren Hang is not a photographer who wants to shock necessarily you . Penis, bondage and illusory obscene situations are only a small part of his work as a visual artist. Republic – his new book – shows it perfectly to us, probably thanks to the support of his publisher too. Roughness is there, but I think the whole work collected for Republic is full of kindness, humour, love for his model and talent for the composition.
Visually strong, Ren Hang’s work has strong meanings too, I think. He said to VICE magazine that “people come into this world naked and I consider naked bodies to be people’s original authentic look. So I feel the real existence of people through their naked bodies”. These bodies – often in fetal position – are also a proud scream for freedom. A word and a concept – freedom – that has another relevant significance for a young artist (1987) whose photography is almost banned in many galleries in his country, China.
