{"id":69545,"date":"2018-08-28T15:36:03","date_gmt":"2018-08-28T15:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=69545"},"modified":"2018-11-02T15:08:32","modified_gmt":"2018-11-02T15:08:32","slug":"lin-zhipeng-223","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11856,139],"tags":[10973,10974,10972,2714],"class_list":["post-69545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sleek-art","category-art","tag-10973","tag-chinese-photography","tag-lin-zhipeng","tag-ren-hang"],"acf":{"main_category":139,"legacy":false,"hero_title":"","subtitle":"If you don't know Lin Zhipeng (aka. 223), it's time to get acquainted","hero":{"video":false,"image":false,"header_color":"black","overlay_color":"","overlay_text_color":"black"},"teasers":{"video":false,"image":false,"width":"6","proportion":"natural"},"facebook_image":false,"related_articles":[48769,49235,63189],"next_article":[48769],"content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

If you don\u2019t know photographer Lin Zhipeng (aka 223) by name, it\u2019s the Western art world that\u2019s at fault. For the last 10 years, one name (and one name only) has dominated the realm of Chinese photography: Ren Hang. The subversive twenty-something became the archetypal image-maker for an entire nation. \u201cHe was a good friend of mine, and we knew each other for a long time,\u201d Zhipeng tells SLEEK. \u201cBut it\u2019s ignorant to compare me to him.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Not only is it unbelievably problematic that the Western canon has only found room for <\/span>one <\/span><\/i>photographer from the most populated country <\/span>on earth, <\/span><\/i>it\u2019s meant an abundance of other talented Chinese photographers (like Zhipeng) have been outshone and overlooked. Though there are obvious overlaps between Hang\u2019s work and Zhipeng\u2019s \u2014 erotic, esoteric and explicit portraits of life, love and youth \u2014 the two differ as much as they align. Not to mention, Zhipeng began lensing the obscurity and tenderness of his everyday life some years before Hang first picked up a camera. \u201cI cannot say <\/span>my<\/span><\/i> photographs inspired <\/span>him<\/span><\/i>,\u201d he admits, \u201cbut I honed my style before him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say that Zhipeng hasn\u2019t been successful: he has a sprawling body of work that\u2019s as beautiful as it is arresting; he\u2019s shot for multiple magazines; published several books and exhibited across the world. His controversial subjects \u2014 exposed bodies, pubic hair, naked lovers intertwined \u2014 are censored in his native China, and challenge sexual taboo through their hedonistic liberation. Ahead of the release of his next book, <\/span>Sour Strawberries<\/span><\/i>, we caught up with the Beijing-based photographer to talk about his wealth of work it\u2019s time you got acquainted with.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

When did you first start taking photographs?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I started taking photos around 2000. But I became involved in art photography in 2004.<\/span><\/p>\n

What interests you about image-making, what are you looking to evoke, create, or capture in your images?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I have always been interested in images \u2014 from photography, to graphic design, to movies. I just want to record my daily life, my growth and experiences, in my images. It just so happens that I have many interesting and creative friends who are willing to be involved in my photography. I also travel a lot, I enjoy my life \u2014 everything in my life can become a subject in my photography.<\/span><\/p>\n

Film or digital?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Only film for artworks \u2014 it\u2019s probably a bad habit, but I\u2019ve been shooting film ever since I started art photography in 2004. I love the quality of it, and I don\u2019t need to retouch the images. The only digital camera I use is an iPhone.<\/span><\/p>\n

What were taking pictures of when you started out?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

When I first began photographing, I experimented with street photography \u2014 an old airport, people on the street, and short trips I took around cities. Months later, a friend commented on my blog and asked me if I could take pictures of her. I did so, and I realised it was amazing to shoot a friend\u2019s face and body. After that, I started shooting more and more people around me, and my own life. <\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Who are the subjects of your photographs \u2014 and how important is it that you forge a connection with them?<\/p>\n

All of the subjects of my photographs are my friends. It\u2019s very important for me to have an intimate and close relationship with them, so that when I take out my camera, they won\u2019t feel nervous or defensive. That feeling of comfort is the most important thing when taking photographs.<\/p>\n

How do you react to the taboos of sex and nudity in China? What effect does this have on your work?<\/p>\n

I feel like I am chasing some kind of freedom, but it\u2019s not a real freedom. I am living in China, and I have to obey the law in China. I can exhibit my explicit and nude artworks within an art context, like a gallery, but they\u2019re always censored on social media.<\/p>\n

Do you think photography is more about escapism or reality?<\/p>\n

Both. Documentary photography is reality. Concept photography is escapism.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":false,"settings":{"fit_width":"4","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

What have been the different reactions to your work in the West vs. the non-West?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I think my works are more accepted in the West, by all ages. Maybe my style is going a bit faster than people\u2019s cognition and aesthetics in the non-West, so here it\u2019s mainly only appreciated by the younger generation. After all, it is not a common aesthetic in China!<\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s your process for composing an image \u2014 what comes first?<\/i><\/b>
\n<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Unusual subjects. But most of time, the moment of shooting just comes straight from my mind.<\/span>
\n<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

What are you working on at the moment?<\/i><\/b>
\n<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

I\u2019m seldom actually working on projects, as such. All of my photographs are born from daily life or improvisation. So I don\u2019t have any plan for my art \u2014 just to keep shooting. My new photography book <\/span>Sour Strawberries<\/i> will be published soon, and I\u2019m planning a solo exhibition in November in Stieglitz19 Antwerp. I also have another solo show coming up next summer in The Delaware Contemporary in USA.<\/span>
\n<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery":false,"settings":{"height":"80","images_to_show":"1","caption":"Photography by Lin Zhipeng (aka. 223)"}}],"exclude_from_ads":["exclude"]},"yoast_head":"\n\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre \u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre \u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sleek Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-08-28T15:36:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-11-02T15:08:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@sleekmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"sleek\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\",\"name\":\"Sleek Magazine\",\"description\":\"Sleek is Germany\u2019s leading independent media house\/brand for creativity and innovation located in Berlin the creative capital of the world. This creativity manifests itself in SLEEK\u2019s quarterly print publication, digital and social media channels.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"de\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/\",\"name\":\"\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre \u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-08-28T15:36:03+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-02T15:08:32+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1fd4c1b41c96eff389e4781115613a68\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1fd4c1b41c96eff389e4781115613a68\",\"name\":\"sleek\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28a91a7b03694a9860c1590004521e06b91644c079476028047b1a7f5e3eb6e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28a91a7b03694a9860c1590004521e06b91644c079476028047b1a7f5e3eb6e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"sleek\"},\"description\":\"She\u2019s currently writing her thesis on immersive installation and has a soft spot for techno, existential art memes and nineties sunglasses.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/author\/sleek\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre \u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre \u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre","og_url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/","og_site_name":"Sleek Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sleekmag\/","article_published_time":"2018-08-28T15:36:03+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-11-02T15:08:32+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@sleekmag","twitter_site":"@sleekmag","twitter_misc":{"Verfasst von":"sleek"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/","name":"Schlankes Magazin","description":"Sleek ist Deutschlands f\u00fchrendes unabh\u00e4ngiges Medienhaus\/Marke f\u00fcr Kreativit\u00e4t und Innovation mit Sitz in Berlin, der kreativen Hauptstadt der Welt. Diese Kreativit\u00e4t manifestiert sich in der viertelj\u00e4hrlich erscheinenden Print-Publikation, den digitalen und Social-Media-Kan\u00e4len von SLEEK.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"de"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/","name":"\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre \u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-08-28T15:36:03+00:00","dateModified":"2018-11-02T15:08:32+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1fd4c1b41c96eff389e4781115613a68"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"de","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/article\/lin-zhipeng-223\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cIt\u2019s ignorant to compare me to Ren Hang\u201d: Chinese photographer 223 on his potent and provocative oeuvre"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/1fd4c1b41c96eff389e4781115613a68","name":"schlank","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de","@id":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28a91a7b03694a9860c1590004521e06b91644c079476028047b1a7f5e3eb6e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/28a91a7b03694a9860c1590004521e06b91644c079476028047b1a7f5e3eb6e9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"sleek"},"description":"Zurzeit schreibt sie ihre Doktorarbeit \u00fcber immersive Installationen und hat ein Faible f\u00fcr Techno, existentielle Kunstmemes und Sonnenbrillen aus den Neunzigern.","url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/author\/sleek\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69545"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69566,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69545\/revisions\/69566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}