Every summer since 1970, over the course of more than forty exhibitions at various of the city's exceptional heritage sites, the Rencontres d'Arles has been a major influence in disseminating the best of world photography and playing the role of a springboard for photographic and contemporary creative talents.
This year, Photography of China is proud to have been selected to project an exclusive video entitled "Wang Qiuhang: Chinese Cultural Revolution (Self)Portrait 1966-1976." It introduces a collection of portraits depicting the Chinese photographer Wang Qiuhang taken by himself and his friends during the decade of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Raised in Hangzhou in a family of high-ranking officials, Wang underwent countless difficulties throughout his life because his father was accused of being a “traitor of the Party”, sent to a labor camp and forced to kill himself. On account of his “bad family background,” Wang was denied jobs and, for years as a result, the opportunity to find a wife. Hence he explains “After having gone through total despair, I discovered another kind of love: the love of oneself.”
Produced by: Pierre Brullé & Marine Cabos
Images: courtesy of Wang Qiuhang
Voice: Wang Qiuhang
Music: Guazu, "Guazu", https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.fr
