-- Artist statement
Wittgenstein once pointed out that a sentence only needs to follow the grammatical rules of the language to which it belongs in order to be a sentence; it does not necessarily have to 'make sense'. So are there many questions in the logic of analogy that do not require an answer to exist?
I am sorry to say that I have not yet found the answer to this question either. I feel like the process of finding the answer is like being immersed in a grey shape where I can't see everything and have no direction. As someone who always takes the initiative, it is easy for me to fall into a state of stubbornness: an obsession with finding solutions to all my problems, or at least getting a positive answer. And this stubbornness has become more pronounced as I've gotten older. After many overlapping events, I find that getting a definitive answer gives me a sense of security that I rarely have, which is why I am so obsessed with finding answers.
Perhaps one can never fully arrive at the answers to all of life's questions. The logic of forcing oneself to get answers is clearly outrageous in life. In the practice of life, getting a definitive answer to a question about a question is usually a difficult or even futile task. So, when I am in the midst of a chronic, unanswered question, I am naturally in a state of confusion. And I am full of confusion as I record many moments. Such a state of confusion is not only present in me, just as the subconscious reveals itself in words, but the state of confusion is also present in the scenes I photograph.
Jialin Yan 严佳林 was born in 1992 and currently lives and works in Fuzhou,China. She is a full-time product manager in IT industry and part time freelance photographer. Sometimes she also writes for some magazines and websites. She explores self consiousness and intimate relationships through images, as well as the sensitive emotional-connection among young people. She was nominated for BOBO SNAP Young Artist Program on 2020. She is also a member Girlgaze's community. Besides, she is a co-founder of a female photography promotion plaftorm “Miroir Project” aiming to discovering and encourage young female photographers in China.
More information: www.jialinyan.com
