Exhibition: The Memory of Our Country and Families:
Chinese Images over the Past Century through a Socio-Cultural Lens
After the May Fourth Movement, spearheaded by prominent figures such as Liu Bannong, Lang Jingshan, and Chen Wanli, photography witnessed a surge in creativity, theoretical inquiry, community development, and exhibitions. During this period, photography emerged as a distinct art form that captured the public’s attention and became an integral component of social aesthetics education.
The collection in the Lang Jingshan Memorial Hall at Huaguang College provides aninvaluable opportunity to re-examine and refresh our understanding of Chinese photography since the Republic of China. In 1923, the BeiPing GuangShe Society was established, marking the advent of photographic art, which was followed by the formation of groups dedicated to exploring the art of photography, including the Chinese Photographic Society, the Black and White Photographic Society and the Photographic Society of Shanghai. This exploration, which may be considered a minor phenomenon in the context of the 1920s and 1930s, gradually established photography’s artistic identity and became a new means for intellectuals to explore life and cultivate their temperament.
It is noteworthy that during the Republican period, the concept and practice of photography extended beyond the realms of aesthetics and art. Particularly during the1930s, the slogan “art for art’s sake” was replaced by “art for life’s sake,” which aligned photography with the Marxist concept of literature and art. The aesthetic value of photography began to be superseded by its role in social documentation and transformation. Following the outbreak of the full-scale War of Resistance and the subsequent upheaval, the nascent art of Chinese photography not only endured but also underwent significant evolution. During the war for national liberation and people’s emancipation, photography became a powerful tool of struggle and a genuine part of the people’s art. Photographers documented the era from behind their lenses, creating invaluable records for future generations and providing a visual record of their pursuits.
From this period onwards, photography developed from its nascent state into adistinct and autonomous art form. Professional photographers and enthusiasts collaborated to integrate the nascent art of photography with Chinese aesthetic principles, adapting Western photographic techniques to align with Oriental aesthetics. Their endeavours resulted in substantial advancement in Chinese photography at the time and established a robust foundation for the photography industry in New China. This approach was eventually formalized as the “Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers Literary and Artistic Policy” and the “Socialist Realism”principle of photography through the practice of reportage photography in the liberated areas under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, thereby influencing the aesthetic system of revolutionary photography art.
Although the 75 years since the founding of New China represent a significant political backdrop, this exhibition is primarily concerned with the historical evolution of life within a socio-cultural context. The exhibition is subdivided into four sections, each of which is dedicated to a specific aspect of the subject matter. The section entitled “Intellectuals: The Nation-State and Visual Media” examines the multifaceted roles of intellectuals in the context of the nation-state and visual media. “Standing,Sitting, and A Lifetime: A Chinese Man’s 62-Year Photo Journal” presents a comprehensive visual account of a Chinese life, spanning 62 years. “Mikosha1949: New China in Color” comprises a selection of images captured by photographer Mikosha in 1949, while the concept of expression as narrative is explored in “Image Production: Expression as Narrative”.
As we reexamine these historical works, whether they be images of war, portraits of literati, or depictions of everyday life, it become evident that many have integrated into our collective memory, influencing our perception and experience of history. As Susan Sontag observes, “All photographs are intersting as well as touching if they are old enough.” In sorting through these cases, we not only examine the transformation of individual photographers of the time but also investigate the potential roles and values of visual media in both global and local contexts. The objective of employing this particular structure is to provide a contemporary visual re-examination, thereby enabling individuals to review, to write, and to bid farewell to history. This approach allows images to assume new practical functions within the spaces created by furniture from the Republic of China era, thus achieving the desired outcome.
The concept of time is in a state of constant evolution, exerting a profound influence on our perception and interaction with the world around us. In particular, the historical narrative is shaped by the passage of time and the transformation of contexts. When viewed beyond their immediate context, the visual documents displayed in our museum collections assume the role of primary historical narratives. The spaces and places that house historical events, collective experiences, and national memories have become sites of special historical significance, shaped by the unique temporal and contextual lenses through which they are viewed.
The legacy of a bygone era has no last words, only images.