Xu Yong’s work bridges art, history, and the intrinsic power of photography as a medium of memory and truth. His series, Negatives, particularly stands out as a poignant attempt to engage with censored histories and challenge conventional notions of documentary photography. By presenting unprocessed film negatives, Xu Yong not only pushes the boundaries of the photographic medium but also invites viewers to engage with the raw, unmediated evidence of historical moments, such as the Tiananmen Square protests.
The approach of using negatives as a primary format underscores the duality of presence and absence in memory and history. Negatives, being a precursor to the final photographic image, symbolize potentiality—what could be revealed or concealed. By foregrounding the negative, Yong critiques the polished narratives often propagated by processed images, which may be edited or contextualized to serve specific agendas.
The inclusion of essays by Gérard A. Goodrow and Shu Yang enriches the series, offering insights into Xu Yong’s methodology and the cultural implications of his work. These writings likely provide a deeper understanding of how Xu Yong’s art interrogates not just visual culture but also societal taboos and collective forgetfulness
Author : Xu Yong
Publisher : Distanz
Release : 2019
Edition :
ISBN : 978-3-95476-298-9
