Zhu Lanqing: The winner of 2014 TSPA

about the artist

Zhu was born in Dongshan Island, China, lives and works in Xiame now. She graduated from the Department of Photojournalism at Renmin University of China and then moved to Taiwan to study at the Institute of Applied Arts in Fujen Catholic University.Her work, most related to the home and place, have been published in many magazines and shown at different international art festivals. She is interested in the possibilities of the presentation of photography especially handmade book.Her first book was selected in the list of Photoeye’s Best Books of 2012.Her second book A Journey in Reverse Direction won the Three Shadows Photography Award 2014 and Jimei X Arles Discovery Award 2015.She also won the Barcelona International Photography Award 2015 and Photo Boite 30 UNDER 30 2016. She just finished an artist residency program in Switzerland for three months supported by FDDM .

about the work

A Journey in Reverse Direction Series

These Photo was taken in my hometown Dongshan Island , an island located in the southern of Zhangzhou, Fujian Province . Unstoppable urban development let people get amnesia, because they often forget what exists here before. I can only catch up with its pace, with the camera to " fight " the changes in hometown. my hometown influence me and shape me from birth.As the beginning of the book, I was dressed in a clothes from grandparents which is found in my grandmother's room. The effect seems to be a mutual process between my hometown and I. What I have seen is what it wish I could see. Shooting hometown seems like a journey in reverse direction,leading to the dark memories and our original heart. In my work, I use "Bachimen" "home" "Food, Land, God," "sea" as the clue to reconstruct my hometown and put these fragments that I collected from my hometown into a book which can be read or showed.In this form, these spaces, people and objects can condense on the paper. Through covering and unfolding the pages, It starts to reveal the meaning of my hometown to me.The final work presentation will combine hand-book with enlarged size single photograph and objects, sounds collected from my hometown. It’s a section of our hometown which is drifting away in the urban developing.It will give us a chance to stop to touch our hometown and reflect on what is the meaning of home.