Shuang Miao Village, Henan, 1994 [China.org.cn]

Photographer:

Jiang Jian was born in Henan in 1953 and is vice president of Henan Photographers Association. He began his "Host" project in the 1990s, a time when a no-interference method controlled mainstream Chinese documentary photography. Jiang Jian’s souvenir picture method aroused intense dispute. "Host" consists of a typical Jiang Jian style, which later became a turning point in the history of Chinese photography. Jiang Jian thinks that peasants play the most important role in Chinese politics, economy, culture and history. Their families and houses are places where people can understand the "real China."

 

"Host" is a collection of photos of various peasant families in central China. Jiang Jian uses a wide angle to show the peasants' plain faces and the diverse furniture in their homes. The pictures provide a glimpse into the families' incomes, tastes and even changes that have taken place in their personal and social lives. Jiang Jian's photos are captured in a pure and simple manner, no doubt touching the viewer. (Curator: Liu Shuyong)