Photography \"Rising Dragon\" Photography Exhibit

Photography

"Rising Dragon" Photography Exhibit

Exhibit Overview and General Description

One of the exhibits currently showing at the San Jose Museum of Art is "Rising Dragon." This is a photography exhibit where both the subjects and the artists are Chinese. The photographs are mostly in black and white, with some color prints and some prints that look aged or sepia tone. Hardly any of the photographs take place in an urban setting. Most of the photographs are taken in rural or desolate locations, when the content of the photo is outside. The exhibit overall exudes a kind of quiet hope and a persistent pain. The photographs that compose this are not luxurious or decadent. They are humble and austere mostly.

"Rising Dragon" is a wondrous photography exhibit consisting of over 100 photographs from various visual and artists and photographers, including Yao Lu. Altogether, the exhibit represents the works of approximately forty photographers, all of whom reside and work in China. The photographs serve as a commentary and criticism about the economic and industrial turbulence experienced in China during the 21st century.

A primary theme in the exhibit includes commentary and reflection upon the accelerated rate at which China experiences urbanization in the 21st century, specifically seeing increase in this process following the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing. The exhibit communicates a range of collisions of modernity and ancient tradition as a result of rapid urbanization. Sometimes these collisions are seamless, and sometimes, more often, they are brutal and have many casualties. The photographers illustrate in their works the abrupt and dynamic process by which China has become relatively more integrated in and at the forefront of the global community over the past few decades in particular.

The styles in the exhibit vary, although they are generally united thematically. Some photographs are in the style of photojournalism. Other styles featured in "Rising Dragon" include portraiture, stills from videos of performance art, and staged scenes/tableaus. The exhibit reflects a range of emotions and issues, including pain, change, the influence of the west, decay, and even humor. The photographers challenge the representations of modern China as represented in the media with provocative simplicity.

Critical Account -- What it Says about the World

The artists are communicating that their worlds are changing very quickly and very often. The artists are stating that the changes in their worlds are not often in service of their countrymen and women. The content of the photographs expresses that the world of the Chinese is in a state of flux that the country has not seen, perhaps, ever in its extensive history.

The "Rising Dragon" exhibit is a kind of mirror, which is a fundamental trait of true artworks. The photographs hold a mirror to underrepresented realities of modern Chinese culture and the photographs hold a mirror to the imaginations of artists living and working within this intense cultural flux.

A number of the photographs are in black and white. The choice to use black and white may be a way to underscore the artists' perspective on some of the injustices experienced by so many Chinese people as a result of or as a side effect of rapid industrialization and urbanization of the 21st century.

The exhibit mocks and criticizes what issues and people receive attention and resources, and which issues and people do not. The exhibit intends to make what and who might be invisible visible, at least as part of China's global image/reputation. The exhibit makes a dynamic and formidable statement about the reality of 21st century China and at what costs come the country's rise as a superpower.

The name "Rising Dragon" may symbolize China's rises as a global power since the 2008 Olympiad that took place in Beijing. China's influence and power in industry have steadily risen in the 21st century, yet after the Olympics in that country, the influence and power of China has increased by leaps and bounds.

In a short time, China has firmly grown into a superpower. Therefore, the title of the exhibit in relation to the content is possibly ironic. On the one hand, China is growing in power and influence globally, but on the other hand, the people of the country are still suffering and living harsh or brutal realities, as illustrated in many of the photographs that compose the exhibit "Rising Dragon."

There are several photos in the exhibit of young people -- adolescents and children. The children are often poor looking and dirty. There is a consistent presence of humility and necessity in the photographs. There are children that are unkempt and yet still beautiful. The photographs are moving and very harsh.

There are also photos of places where homeless or impoverished looking children might live. There domiciles are flimsy and there is a sense of protection, but also vulnerability to the shabby homes. These photographs, again, are very interesting with respect to the title of the exhibit. There is implied that behind the reputation that China is rising as a superpower lies a hidden reality for many of the Chinese people.

There are a few photographs that take place in a modern urban setting. These photos consistently have a surreal quality to them. There are objects that move in ways that are contrary to the laws of physics. The attractive young adults within these modern photos seem like dolls or robots, but there is something definitely artificial about them, perhaps implying something about the lifestyle of urban Chinese that is not as glamorous and exciting as Chinese tourism might imply.

These photographs speak toward the title as well, in that they are supposed to be more directly aligned with China as a "Rising Dragon" -- beautiful modern homes situated within a twinkling metropolis, full of attractive young adults who live a comfortable lifestyle. Yet, there is something unnatural and constructed about the people and objects of those photos that is no doubt intentional and serving as criticism.

Personal Response

I found this exhibit to be captivating. I find Asian art in general extremely intriguing. The use and range of aesthetics is very different from those in the west. I appreciate the brutality of some of the images in the exhibit. I think that it is critical for art to expose what is intentionally hidden and underrepresented in normative media.