Picture: Yang Yankang
Text: AD Coleman
Translation: Hailan
Format: Houri Wong
Yang Yankang is an important figure in the field of documentary photography in China. Among the photographers shooting Tibet, the works of Zhuang Xueben, Lu Nan and Yang Yankang are the most outstanding. This article attempts to present Yang Yankang’s “Tibetan Buddhism” series of works and critic and historian AD Coleman’s review “Yang Yankang’s Tibet Photos” in parallel, hoping to give readers a three-dimensional feeling and understanding of this series of works. understand.
“Tibetan Buddhism” is a photography project about belief that Yang Yankang has completed for more than ten years. Since 2003, Yang Yankang has gone deep into Tibetan areas, integrated into the daily life of monks and believers, and recorded those people living under the harsh conditions in plateau Tibetan areas with meticulous images. Faith makes life dignified and peaceful.
Among all visual media, the characteristic of photography’s “long-term attention” is unique in the mind of image researchers: it is a process of continuously observing the same thing or the same group of things for a considerable period of time. From the early days of the media to the present, photographers and those researchers who use the camera as a tool have given photography a specific purpose, applying its descriptive power to all aspects of human life, whether it is a city The subtle evolution of architectural identity in a typical home environment (like Eugene Atget in Paris), or the progressive growth of children in a typical home environment (like Sully Mann in the American southeast).
Sichuan, Nun Holding a Pigeon (2006)
Yang Yankang’s special topic in Tibet followed this tradition and mission of “long-term concern”. After eight years of in-depth filming of the daily religious activities of Catholic believers in some small villages in Shaanxi Province, the Tibet issue began. Yang Yankang has persistently shown that he pays full attention to the ubiquitous religious activities in the daily life of the people-accompanied by his unchanging devotion to religious beliefs, accompanied by the awakening of his own spiritual exploration, and firmly believes that as a hard-working professional photographer , his skill and eyesight could complete this quest.
Yang Yankang has committed himself to this long-term focus on Tibetan Buddhist life, and this new topic has completed half of what he expected—five years. So here we have this “intermediate report”, a staged display of work results. No one knows exactly how much enthusiasm and experience he has invested in this, but the hardships and risks involved can be imagined. The great value of the existing works is enough to predict how successful this topic will be when it is completed.
Sichuan, Woman Carrying a Wooden Plank (2005)
During the filming process, Yang Yankang used a mixture of two basic methods. One is the unassuming observation of everyday life. When a photographer is fully involved in the life of his subject, he is able to take the best pictures. The second is to interact with the subject. Let the subject face the camera naturally, consciously realize the cooperation with the photographer, and obtain the ideal image through appropriate control. Familiarity and trust play an important role here—who would doubt someone we know so well and understand their motivations? This approach has been proven by almost all successful photographers.
Tibet, a sick old nun (2006)
But this is not an ability for everyone, and it takes talent and skill to earn complete trust. When focusing on the content of a photograph, we must focus on the personality, grooming and presence of the photographer himself. Anthony Hyde once wrote: “Sometimes the most important person in a photograph is the one you cannot see.” The behavior of the photographer inevitably affects the performance of the subject. Whether embedded deep into film, or etched into memory pixels, the subject’s self-expression must come through the lens, through the photographer’s framing. Therefore, we are not looking at Tibet, but at the extraction done by Yang Yankang with his camera in Tibet. We need to bear in mind this meaningful difference.
Sichuan, a nun sheltering from the wind and snow on the pilgrimage road (2006)
Yang Yankang uses a 35mm camera, a small and unremarkable device, which is often used to shoot complex social subjects, especially in those relatively closed areas. The consistent creation and the profound and broad meanings displayed in the works make the originally unobtrusive camera in his hands have extraordinary value.
Like many predecessors, Yang Yankang used black and white photography to complete this topic according to the tradition. Based on the consideration of factors such as cost and technology, photographers engaged in such topics often make such choices. The expressive power of black-and-white photography removes color—a significant factor in the creation of this subject matter. But at the same time, black and white photography also eliminates the “visual noise” often brought by color, so that the photographer can place more emphasis on form, event and spatial structure. Most importantly, perhaps, black-and-white photography distills the image, making it truly a photograph rather than the subject itself.
Qinghai, A Little Monk Reading Scriptures (2007)
A talented photographer like Yang Yankang is also an excellent picture maker who can express the theme of his works. As the medium for expressing his works, silver salt photographs, with their rich texture and subtle handling of tonal structure, attract our attention. Eyes maintain a long focus. In fact, this texture transforms the image from a detailed print to a contemplative object. Is there anything more suitable for expressing spiritual life and religious belief than this?
Gansu, Tibetans waiting for the puja in the snowstorm (2007)
Through creation and technology, Yang Yankang allows us to see Tibetan culture, beliefs, people and natural landscape through his eyes. He focuses his work on the lives of Buddhist believers, and religion is omnipresent to Tibetans. Therefore, Yang Yankang must carefully examine the long-term life of Tibetans and examine the many intertwined factors. It is very clear that he has once again found a fertile ground for his images, and that what has been gained promises a more fruitful harvest, a more successful outcome. While not over yet, the series is sure to rank among the best in the world.
Although not the original intention of the photographer, Yang Yankang’s works will certainly enhance the status and status of documentary photography now and in the future.
Sichuan, Monks Hanging Trumpets (2006)
As a critic and a historian, it seems to me that Yang Yankang’s work on Tibet—on par with his work on small Catholic villages in inland China—enters the realm of classic, mainstream documentary photography. Any western reviewer can confirm its status. Because the history of documentary photography in China is relatively short, and the discourses from Chinese critics and historians are relatively less than those from Western perspectives, it seems that targeted discussions are more needed in China.
Qinghai, people watching the altar from the window (2005)
In contemporary western countries, the meaning of documentary photography as a means of expression is constantly expanding—to be precise, a work is composed of a considerable number of photos, and the text introduction of the content is limited and often very definite, such as Confirmation of themes, dates, places, etc., which are in fact exhaustive enough. Whether it is the increasingly scarce government or corporate funding, or editorial reviews, all try to influence the creation of the feature, but usually the photographer is the real author; The photographer has already considered it. Much of the exceptional work is the result of the photographer’s own effort and dedication, although it is sometimes possible to seek foreign funding. But Yang Yankang pays completely out of his own pocket, and this is what we call “personal records”. Photographers who engage in this kind of work are all out of persistence in their own views and ideas, and pay a high price for the freedom of recording.
There is no implicit time limit attached to this format: some documentary photography spans more than ten years. So the documentary photographer has the opportunity to refine the film. Not only did different levels of refining be carried out during the shooting process, but even unsatisfactory parts were re-shot.
Sichuan, believers receiving holy water (2008)
Documentary photography has been immortalized for the same reason that it has been perfected in such a way that it will endure: books and exhibitions will remain the preferred presentation platforms for documentary photography, although audiovisual formats are increasingly common. Sometimes, documentary photography also chooses magazines as the display channel, and it is relatively rare to choose newspapers. Some of them also started appearing regularly in some TV shows. The diversity of expression forms and publishing methods has made the concept of “documentary photography” more and more complicated and difficult to define simply.
Gansu, Kajia monk’s family (2005)
At the dawn of a new century, documentary photography found itself in a state of rapid change—almost in a rich, converging chaos.
Yunnan, Tibetans kowtow on the pilgrimage road (2004)
The history and practice of documentary photography can be traced back 170 years. The first major structural change in documentary photography occurred in the 1950s when some practitioners began to firmly inject their own voices and perspectives into their work, making the audience clearly aware of the author’s inner subjective ideas. Represented by the strong self-awareness of Robert Frank and Eugene Smith, the turning point occurred in what is often called “New York School”. In fact, this change has spread to every corner of the world.
Sichuan, believers and children carved with mani stones (2007)
So in the 1960s, in the West, the “personal documentary” photography method appeared, and at the same time there were also creative writers and journalists such as Barbara Deming, Norman Mailer and others. Represents “freelance journalists”. Since then, the seeds of the photographic boom, along with the rapid development of the photography education system, have been planted in institutions across the United States as a liberal art. Before long, the trend was spreading around the world.
By the early 1970s, young photographers in Western countries received far more than their parents, whether it was training in professional colleges or receiving creative guidance in private studios and photography clubs. The interdisciplinary academic atmosphere and the media environment of the art school have enabled them to truly devote themselves to photography.
Gansu, the little monk pulling the curtain 2005
A different group of photographers with formal education and advanced professional qualifications began to emerge. Influenced by other fields, they are familiar with and nourished by the creative and expressive techniques of other media forms. Some of them chose to follow in the footsteps of their ancestors: to witness the “re-photographing survey”, and in the years to come, retrace the path that some landscape photographers walked decades ago, returning to those famous locations, At the same location and with the same equipment, we tried to accurately reproduce the scenes that those large negatives had shown for comparison.
Others calmly focus on documenting the changes human activities have left on the land—”new geological photography”; and a group of people devote themselves to what Lee Fried Randall calls “social landscape” photography. These works are sometimes Fred Randall and Gary Winogrand’s indifference and sarcasm, sometimes they are obviously personal experience, and sometimes they are even Larry Clark’s inner monologue. Too extreme a point of view.
Sichuan, young monks practicing French dance (2006)
Photographers of this period possessed an unprecedented and comprehensive historical knowledge of photography. They study all the works and people that make up the tradition of documentary photography. They master different ways of making pictures – all the tools, materials and processes from the earliest days of photography to their time. Because photography education inspires them to rediscover those abandoned and outdated creative methods. They also feed on other art forms: painting, printmaking, books, sculpture, installation, video and film. They learn everything that is available to them, even the latest inventions, to attract new audiences and to break the confines of traditional galleries, museums, and art monographs.
By this time, debates over art had become commonplace, and a serious critique had begun to form about photography. In the late 1960s, the increasing freedom of criticism finally made photography acceptable at all levels of the ever-changing art world.
Sichuan, Tibetan believers in Salongda (2006)
As if this wasn’t enough for photographers, they threw themselves into a new technological change, which I call the “digital revolution”. This revolution began in the mid-1980s, accompanied by the birth of the Internet, especially the advent of the “3W website” in 1994, which forever changed the concept of image and text creation and display. This revolution has fundamentally changed the toolbox of photography.
A hybrid approach of informatization and digital photography emerges from this new environment. Although it has been predicted that it will eventually die, the classic and mainstream documentary photography is still full of vitality today. Although some people insist that documentary photography will eventually become obsolete, thinking that it is “unreliable” or even “politically wrong”, practitioners of mainstream classic documentary photography still insist that in all parts of the world, in those “first world” or “Third World” places and find that instead of shrinking, audiences are growing rapidly.
Gansu, Women Picking up Sheep Dung (2005)
Museum directors often point out that photography exhibitions tend to be the most visited exhibitions. Since Edward Stein’s series of works were exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in the 1940s and 1950s, mainstream documentary photography has always attracted audiences. The introductions of such works from the United States and all over the world have filled my own desk. Books, exhibitions, CDs and DVDs, various media continue to bring various mainstream documentary works to us. It can be seen that this art form not only maintains a strong charm and attraction for its practitioners, but also ignites the excitement of the world audience.
Yunnan, the young monk cleaning the monk’s room (2006)
In addition, mainstream documentary photography not only informs and persuades those who pay attention to it, but also silently influences social changes. Documentary photography plays an important role in the protection of local culture and natural ecology in various countries, in government legislation, and in changes in our daily life. has a huge effect. Many topics have long ceased to satisfy people’s curiosity. In Western countries, the motivational discourse around the topic of documentary photography has been placed in front of some key figures, and they have to think about some difficult problems:
*Who will be described and how?
*Who is going to describe and why?
*The expression of the media can affect the results, so who will influence the media?
* Since some outcomes are predictable, should it be allowed to pass? and many more
These issues have repercussions across the entire photography community, not just documentary photographers. Because documentary photography and creative photography interact and learn from each other, and it is difficult to distinguish each other, and it is difficult to clearly distinguish and define.
Yunnan, followers of Buddha statues (2005)
Today, we can see documentary photography increasingly absorbing and blending with other art forms. Documentary photography works have been reported in serious magazines, published in special albums, exhibited in art museums, photography festivals, commercial galleries, and even appeared in art auctions. Photography is increasingly becoming a work of art with a specific expression, reminiscent of fine art. We will be challenged to abandon our previous prejudices about the narrative nature of photography.
But challenges always exist. No matter how obviously objective, it is impossible to ignore the existence of the recorder, which makes people doubt the objectivity of the record itself. In fact, more complex than blind faith in records is often the truth itself.
Because documentary photography is often concerned with social ills, natural disasters, wars, and other crises, we tend to forget its many functions and values and focus only on its controversy and urgency. In fact, documentary photography is a research and recording method of visual anthropology and ethnology.
Qinghai, The Monk Carrying Tea (2007)
As the anthropologist Clifford Geertz said: “Let us feel the lives of strangers”-I am afraid that not only documentary photography has such a potential motivation. Sometimes it’s about a specific group of strangers in danger who need protection and rescue; sometimes it can be something that makes us nervous; sometimes it’s less scary; Do what we usually do, without our interruption; sometimes, these strangers are not only themselves in the eyes of the recorder, but contain some kind of knowledge, will or unexplained ideas, which may be about survival, about Belief, about family, about communication, about work, or a special skill, may be those things that are fleeting in our lives, but we need to record and cherish them.
The vision of the recorder is usually a desire to be involved in people’s lives and also to enrich their own, whether they are happy or miserable, all is well or in distress. The topic of documentary photography sometimes tells about a problem, sometimes about a solution, and sometimes the characters in the picture just tell about themselves. Some documentary photographers just hold up a mirror to let us see ourselves, while others let us see how others see us.
Sichuan, a young monk holding an umbrella for a Buddhist sedan chair (2006)
Documentary photography has found its audience a long time ago, and the audience will continue to grow. In the environment of the 21st century where the media is pervasive, our own images can solidify the never-ending changes, show our daily experience of secular life, help us get rid of passive feedback, and focus on and analyze the reality of life.
Documentary photography usually chooses books, magazines, and newspapers as the way to publish their works, and then seeks space for exhibitions in art museums or galleries. I look forward to the successful expansion of documentary photography to new display media and spaces, whether real or virtual. In the West, those photographers who we label as “documentary photography” are increasingly relying on funding from art committees or foundations, income from selling works, and teaching various photography courses to maintain their livelihood and creation. These direct or indirect funding are also completing the promotion of works in some way.
Sichuan, an old monk storing a Buddha statue (2006)
But for the development of the whole industry, documentary photography has to find a reliable economic support system. Since the 1960s in Western countries, magazines and newspapers for mainstream readers have mostly determined their target markets according to the principle of market segmentation, and readjusted their positioning to more accurately meet the needs of specific reader groups, which provided space for documentary photography. But few outlets provide a stable space for documentary photography or provide financial support for it. The cost of publishing books is getting higher and higher, resulting in higher prices and smaller opportunities for individual purchases.
With the exception of a few classics by the masters, like Dorothy Lange’s “Immigrant Mother” or Eugene Smith’s work on water pollution in Japan, most photography is seriously undervalued. This is mainly due to the immediacy and emotional intensity displayed by the works themselves, as well as the concept of art and the value judgment of connoisseurs on photography is still unclear. There are relatively few public institutions collecting photography and, as far as I know, there have been almost no major private collectors collecting photography in the past.
Qinghai, a monk taking a nap (2007)
However, in recent years, in the West, the photography collection market, including art museums, galleries, private and corporate collections, can accept almost all types of photography. Typically, one can find fine art pictures mixed with advertising, fashion, documentary or other forms, appearing in any picture auction. It cannot be denied that in recent years, the highest auction prices have been shifting from creative works to documentary and photojournalism works. Historical or contemporary documentary photography, such as Edward Curtiz and Dorothy Lange, have set new price records at recent auctions.
Sichuan, Yaqing Tibetan Buddhist Practice Site (2006)
When the price of documentary photography is still low, the good news is that those visionary museum directors and private collectors have begun to collect. As well as the photographs themselves, they also collect in depth – supporting works such as books, exhibition posters, magazine layouts and other related materials – and these people will eventually form a group of intellectual collectors who understand the importance of these works and can devote themselves to it For the collection of documentary photography.
But documentary photography cannot survive solely on the collecting market, nor can it survive on the funding system of governments, corporations, or private foundations. If documentary photography finds a new financial cornerstone in the future, I imagine it will do so by establishing a direct author-viewer relationship, eliminating or at least reducing the intermediaries – editors, publishers, curators, gallerists or It is other past and present guardians who make the viewer a true patron.
Sichuan, Women Shaking a Prayer Wheel (2007)
Now, the boundaries between forms are extremely uncertain, interpretations are readily available, and options are growing exponentially. Speaking out in the face of a crisis is a tough test for photographers and viewers alike. This crisis makes photographers and audiences eager for dialogue, and the dynamic dialogue will reshape documentary photography for decades to come, and it is even believed that this power can make us re-understand culture-felt in this immortal mode. Delight, the audience’s share will prove more alive and real than ever.
Sichuan, a nun washing clothes in snow (2006)
In the West, the creation and development of documentary photography is not just for the enjoyment and enlightenment of the privileged class. Rather, it is popular, democratic, and a feat of the people in mass media. Around well-produced but inexpensive photo magazines such as “Life” and “Look”, a large number of professional documentary photographers and news photographers often gather, and they hope to inform readers of what they want to say to the widest possible extent through these magazines and exhibitions. They aspire to take photos that everyone can understand, photos that can share all life experiences, photos that make everyone feel something. They hope that the work will attract and reward readers without the need for explanation and commentary by experts and scholars.
They soon became convinced that readers could read their work, even those who disagreed with the work’s point of view or the photographer’s position. Presumably this is a first-person narrative, a direct communication between people. Undoubtedly, Yang Yankang’s works are on this list. His work presents a perspective on what he sees and thinks. Like his predecessors, Yang Yankang only asks you to look wholeheartedly at the photos he shows you. It’s a slice of difference he’s carved out in an ever-converging world, a place you’ve probably never been before.
Qinghai, a monk showing his strength (2007)
Whether such a work is art depends on how you define “art”. As I have already stated, documentary photography is inherently informative and informative. Its fundamental purpose is to describe the behavior and situation of society and culture, to allow people of today to communicate, to leave precious records for future people, to leave evidence of human existence, and even to help improve problems. In certain specific situations, documentary photography is often the most timely.
Such motivation and premise make it difficult for us to regard it as art. What attracts photographers the most is the record quality of documentary photography, which is similar to “chronology”. It is more similar to record historians, in-depth reporters, sociologists, and anthropologists, and is quite different from poets and artists who pay more attention to their spirits. . As a result, many outstanding and important works of documentary photography, past and present, cannot be classified as “art”.
Qinghai, a monk standing on the top of a mountain (2005)
It is indisputable, however, that the images in documentary photography have become milestones because they operate in the realm of poetic communication of information. Poetry does not depend only on language to circulate among poets. Creativity in the visual arts doesn’t just come from academies, either. If the poets and artists of the past have taught us anything, it is to look for poetry and picturesque in life, to discover and appreciate each moment through close attention-“not only to see what it is, but also to see what it may be.”
When you communicate your perception to others every day, poetry will come unexpectedly. Yang Yankang is sharing his visual poetry with us. The one I like best is: a clean but ragged woman standing in a wheat field beside a hill with her eyes closed and a dove lying on her arm. This photo does not tell us anything urgent or special about Tibet today, but reflects something that will always be relevant to each of us. Food for thought, I look forward to seeing it more often from now on. I believe that for hundreds of years to come, people will be like me.
Tibet, The Old Man Who Turned to the Temple (2006)
I don’t think anyone cares if documentary photographers and their work are considered artists and works of art. This question continues to arouse people’s attention and takes on new connotations over time. However, these are not important, as long as I see the works, for me, I don’t need the opinions of experts and scholars, and even the author’s own intentions are not important, as long as I can find my own insights from them.
But too much emphasis on photography itself is biased. Because documentary photography often contains a lot of sociological and anthropological connotations, many famous works have become classics. If you focus only on the photographic elements, you will miss the richest and most profound parts of the feast. This is different from the cover of a novel or the headline of an article. If you choose to discover what the author wants you to practice, you must greet each unusual moment created by the author from beginning to end.
Sichuan, a young monk dressed up as a character in the French dance (2006)
Following Yang Yankang’s Tibet photos is like being treated to a delicious meal prepared by a master chef. The special ingredients and the poetry in the works make you feel like you are there, making these photos different from “art”. Neither Yang Yankang nor I pointed them out for you. I might see something you didn’t, and you might find something I missed. So? Yang Yankang is here to invite you to the feast in person, and if you come to participate, you can share his discoveries in Tibet. It is a food rich in ingredients and flavors, enjoyed with heart, savored carefully, and found your favourites. He is a first class cook and the best host. You will be well worth the trip.
Photographer’s statement:
How monks practice in the monastery and their daily life, as well as their relationship with family and other monks, how to understand the relationship between God and man, God and nature in daily life. In the long spiritual life, faith and spirit make people living in Tibet feel awe and gratitude.
About Yang Yankang:
Born in Guizhou in December 1954, he is a contracted photographer of France’s VU photo agency. He is known as “the most influential” documentary photographer in China. He has won many well-known photography awards at home and abroad. Nearly 80 pieces of works have been collected by art museums.
