Jiang Pengyi was born in 1977 in Hunan, China. He attended the Beijing Institute of Art and Design, from which he graduated in 1999. Using photography as a catalyst for his carefully constructed scenes he captures uncertain stories that inspect the socio-political landscape that surrounds him.In fact, through photography it responds to the changing social, political and physical scenarios of China.
Jiang Pengyi is interested in the passage of time and its effects on society; he is particularly interested in the transformation of Beijing’s urban landscape and the possibilities of how it will be in many decades. His process of artistic creation often involves time-lapse photography and the gradual destruction of his material, while trying to eliminate the proof of the artist’s hand.In his series “Unregistered City” (2008-2010), Jiang Pengyi comments on the human condition by collecting miniature buildings together in desecrated landscapes – abandoned houses, lots of rubble – and by photographing the scenes.
Referring to 1,000-year-old landscape paintings and contemporary events in China, these photographs create complex and carefully constructed messages that take place as novels.
Starting from photographs related to urban landscapes and digital manipulation in his early works, Jiang goes on to reflect on a micro and introspective vision of inanimate objects that he represents through images of surreal views in the intrinsic light that exists in everyday objects and illuminate the traces left by existence of objects over time.
The existence of objects seems peculiar because it is illuminated by their splendor, their image and family function disappear. This disappearance of image and function seems to suggest a sort of destruction of our common association with objects, while the artist tries to reveal the independent existence of each object.
In a slightly later series of works, “Everything Illuminates” (2012), Jiang experiments with fluorescent powders and melted wax to create luminescent objects that radiate light, acting like miniature stars. Pour this mixture of wax and fluorescent powder onto the objects and photograph the substance using a long exposure. In the resulting images, the original functions of the objects are erased, leaving the viewer with a sense of destruction.
Exhibitions:
2008 – “Que Vive?” Moscow International Biennial for Young Art, Moscow, Russia.
2009 – “Cheng Ran & Jiang Pengyi: Immersion and Distance”, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
2010 – “The butterfly effect”, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China
2011 – “Be natural Be yourself”, Frac des Pays la Loire establishes Regional d’Art Contemporain, Nantes, France
2012 – “No Exit – Urban Space”, Biennial of photography in Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
2012 – “Architekturfotografie – Made in China”, MAKK, Köln, Germany
2013 – “REVEL,” Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai, China
2014 – “Chinese Contemporary Photography: 2009-2014”, Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China
2015 – “Asia unfamiliar: the second biennial in Beijing”, CAFA Art Museum, Beijing, China
2015 – “China 8 – Contemporary Art from China on the Rhine and the Ruhr”, Museum Lehmbruck, Duisburg, Germany
2015 – “China 8 – Contemporary Art from China on the Rhine and the Ruhr”, Changjiang International Biennial of Photography and Video,
2015 – “China 8 – Contemporary Art from China on the Rhine and the Ruhr”, Chongqing Changjiang Museum of Contemporary Art, Chongqing, China
2016 – “Ghost in Flash: After Photography”, Taikang Space, Beijing, China
2016 – “The Shadow Never Lies”, Shanghai 21st Century Minsheng Art Museum, Shanghai, China
2016 – “The Shadow Never Lies”, Art Basel, Hong Kong
Jiang’s work has been awarded with several awards, including the Aletti Art Prize for Photography (2011), the Jury Grand Prize from the Société Générale Chinese Art Awards (2010), and the Three Shadows Photography Award (2008).
References:
https://www.artsy.net/artist/jiang-pengyi
http://www.shanghartgallery.com/galleryarchive/artists/name/jiangpengyi
https://blindspotgallery.com/artist/jiang-pengyi/
http://www.aikedellarco.com/artist.php?id=141