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M+, Hong Kong. Gift of Guan Yi, 2013, © Yang Yong
Yang Yong 楊勇
Skimming Over the Surface 浮光掠影
2002
Yang’s photographic practice began just before the advent of digital photography. Since 1997, he has used a combination of film stills, commercial shots, and instant photographs to create a unique artistic style. Not only does his work accurately replicate the lighting of different photographic styles, it also effectively captures the characters and attitudes of his subjects. Although Yang shoots on film, his goal is not to make perfectly composed photographs. He often uses continuous shooting or presents his work in 36 frames on a contact sheet so that the meaning of each image hinges on the overall context. By creating such fragmented or ambiguous narratives, Yang invites viewers to use their own experience and imagination to connect the images. As an artist born in the 1970s, Yang shared the same experience with a lot of Shenzhen residents at the time; his world view was largely influenced by global of popular culture. In addition, in Yang’s work, the act observation becomes a dream-like self-projection.
In the 2003 Canton Express, Yang abandoned conventional photography and traditional display methods, and instead mimicked the decorative commercial style that was popular at the time. He covered the walls of a room with large-format photographs to conjure a dream-like state that blurred the lines between reality and illusion. Simultaneously, he projected slides of his photographs on the walls of Libreria Borges — World Bookstore: Unclear Past, for viewers to experience the passage of time between each blink of the projector. The work induces a feeling of déjà vu as the narrative repeats endlessly. The 2017 iteration of the work includes 35mm colour slides and vinyl prints reproduced from original digital files and images. As audiences watch the slideshow while listening to the clicking sounds emanating from the projector, they are able to experience the new yet familiar quality in the age of digital photography.
In the 2003 Canton Express, Yang abandoned conventional photography and traditional display methods, and instead mimicked the decorative commercial style that was popular at the time. He covered the walls of a room with large-format photographs to conjure a dream-like state that blurred the lines between reality and illusion. Simultaneously, he projected slides of his photographs on the walls of Libreria Borges — World Bookstore: Unclear Past, for viewers to experience the passage of time between each blink of the projector. The work induces a feeling of déjà vu as the narrative repeats endlessly. The 2017 iteration of the work includes 35mm colour slides and vinyl prints reproduced from original digital files and images. As audiences watch the slideshow while listening to the clicking sounds emanating from the projector, they are able to experience the new yet familiar quality in the age of digital photography.
Canton Express: Art from the Pearl River Delta. M+ Pavilion, Hong Kong, 23 June–10 September 2017
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