-- Artist Statement
The Form of Light series started with my research into the language of photography. Here, photography is no longer a means of expression, but is transformed into a metaphor for the world, a subject of study. What is presented is neither image nor photograph, but their shadow: proof that illusions exist. While displaying an image to the viewer, the works simultaneously hint at their own illusory nature.
The shadows of photographs illustrates my insight into photography—no matter what its object, a photo is still just a photochemical reaction. Even if we believe that a photo can replace the object itself, but that object will have already ceased to exist, or will have changed. Further, because of the relationship between time and experience, the photographer and viewer can never see the same object. In this sense, the image becomes unimportant.
Each Form of Light work originates from a complete photograph. Using a projection formula, a computer calculates and assigns lines of division on the image according to the required compression ratio. The result is that the original image is now divided logically into hundreds of units of varying size, each with their own identifying number code. The image is transferred onto photo transparency, and the units are cut out by hand. These fragments are then assembled according to number code, whereupon the presence of directed light causes the collective shadows of the fragments to form a projected image. The original image is recreated, but in reality, all that can be seen is the photograph's shadow. One could think of this as the recorded result of a process. Personally speaking from my long-time experience working in media, Form of Light is linked to the fragmentation of contemporary life and our image environment.
Wang Ningde was born in the Liaoning Province (China) in 1972. He graduated from the photography department of the Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts in 1995. He currently lives and works in Beijing.
