Poetic Images

by Tang Hongfeng

Two photography exhibitions

in Beijing and New York City， respectively， stunned spectators simultaneously on opposite sides of the world. While the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Museum at Beijings 798 Art Zone hosted “Nil Mirror，” the first photography exhibition of Bei Dao， one of the most influential Chinese poets of the modern era， the Grey Art Gallery at New York University was displaying photography by poet Allen Ginsberg（1926-1997）. Few were aware that the two literary figures had been friends and that Ginsberg even mentored Bei Dao in photography， inspiring the Chinese poet to make the leap across disciplines. The exhibitions triggered an interesting discussion： What will a photographer with a poetic background capture？

Bei Dao， whose real name is Zhao Zhenkai， exhibited the most distinctive examples of his work， which evidenced his obsession with solid colored lumps， lines， geometric patterns， and light and shadows. With much emphasis placed on abstract details， the images appear vague – difficult for patrons to discern the original subjects. This is the defining characteristic of Bei Daos photography style， making it reminiscent of abstract art by Wassily Kandinsky， an influential Russian painter. Because human faces are hard to find， the work seemed to lack the artistic power necessary to truly move the audience.

In contrast， Allen Ginsberg focused on real figures， which contributed to the charisma of his photography. Through his lens， writers of the Beat Generation pose as laid back drifters， stretching their arms around each others shoulders while puffing on cigarettes. They amble down streets or stand static on platforms， their eyes exuding a glow that pierces time and space. The photos feature an exquisite use of light and shadow， so much so that even patterns on furniture and peeling wallpaper radiate with texture. In the early 1980s， Ginsberg added poetic captions to many of his photos， introducing the subjects and context while revealing personalities and dispositions of the subjects. Simple yet dynamic， as a timeless documentation of the photographers warmest memories， the captions enhance the photos power even more. Ginsbergs perfect blend of poetry and photography testified to his endeavors to bring out the “luminousness of the ordinary event.”

Along with Bei Dao， some other Chinese poets have also been drawn to the camera. Yu Jian has hardly been called a“photographer，” but he published a book， Notes of the Camera Obscura， documenting his travels and life along the Lancang/ Mekong River area with considerable photography accompanied by sensational prose. Due to a lack of artistic design and processing of light and shadow， the images are merely simple yet pristine records. From Hanoi （Vietnam） to Zhaotong（Yunnan Province）， and from the Mekong River in Myanmar to a train heading for Lanzhou， capital of northwestern Chinas Gansu Province， the faces captured in the images are sublimely realistic， and life through the poets lens sizzles as if straight out of the oven. The books subtitle， Image and Thought： Daily Life in the Era of Globalization， coincidently echoes Ginsbergs perception of photography and poetry – art mirrors life. The first image in the book depicts a street barbers kiosk in Hanoi， with subjects beaming with wide grins despite the dirty and chaotic surroundings. It is accompanied by a passage of intriguing text that leads readers past the picture into its world.

Photos create illusions of life. Rather than staying frozen in a moment， real life melts into history in an instant. Time chugs along eternally like a train lacking a destination， and even the moment before the shot is lost forever in its wake. Versions of reality seen in Yus barber image could be Communist ideology， the Vietnam War， the glory of victory， or the survival of the defeated. As Brazilian master photographer Sebastiao Salgado exemplified， when one focuses on a certain facet of life， he may overlook others， like the magnificence of the sunset at the same moment.

Perhaps this illustrates the value of poet-photographers， both within China and beyond. The fusion of words with images can produce overwhelming power that highlights both the strength and weakness of photography. Only when images mingle with thought， and language complements light and shadows of reality， can poetic insight into human life continue to shape the world.