East Contemporary

Blindspot Gallery: Jiang Pengyi “Everything Illuminates”

 (10/5 – 11/2/2013)
Blindspot Gallery website

When I received the invitation I first wondered whether this is an installation or photo exhibition. The images showed objects, like a crystal chandelier, a paper sheet or a mysterious liquid which were emanating light – the light was coming straight out of them from another light source illuminating them. Once in the gallery I realized that the images I saw on the invitation – that was it. I also realized that while showing a glowing paper would look slightly mysterious, it would be very boring once the trick was uncovered. Captured in the photo, the viewer can’t completely resolve how the image was created – fluorescent materials, UV light, Photoshop work… The dislocation in time and space achieved through photography constituted a critical part of this works impact on the viewer. While the work could be dismissed for simply documenting one kind of effect, it did have a certain charm, created by keeping the effect as a mystery.

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