Ride of Passage

After shooting still life for some time, I started to venture into the realm of conceptual photography. It was a confusing and mysterious time, but also a very interesting one.

Many images often appeared in my mind, sometimes vague but sometimes vivid. During this time, I was particularly fascinated by the concept of "hovering in mid-air".

These images burned in me like a fire. Why did they arise? I have no idea, but I felt that they were full of energy, and that it was a calling to bring them from the surreal world into reality.

The process of turning a concept into a piece of artwork can take a day or two, or even months, with much of the time spent on preparation and thinking. From making the model, to preparing the background, lighting, and other elements, the process is very time-consuming before it becomes a creation.

I often refer to oil paintings. Once, when I saw a work with geometric shapes, a composition came to my mind: the image of two pale hands repeatedly throwing triangles, spheres, and squares around in a virtual space. Why I saw them, I have no explanation.

The emcee asked interesting questions

“Through the lens, I could enter a part of my mind I had never explored before.”

This work was shown at the award ceremony of the Austrian Supercircuit, the world's largest photography competition. During an interview before nearly 1,000 people, the emcee asked an interesting question: "Mr. Zhang, why are you so fascinated by the subject of hovering in the air?"

I thought for a moment and replied, "If you believe in this reincarnation thing, I think my past life could have been in the era of the Wright brothers. At that time, scientists spent their lives studying how to defy gravity, and I think now I have come to this life continuing my mission. But this time, I use the camera to achieve the same purpose."

Through the lens, I can "see" territory of my mind that has never been explored before. Although the lens was facing reality, the focus was on a surrealistic time and space, allowing me to see a different world.

Photography has enriched my life.