Artist Zeng Jianlong
Born in Xiamen in 1977, he currently lives and works in Shanghai.
Designer, Video Artist
In Zeng Jianlong's artistic world, he adopts the micro lens as his perspective, focusing on the meta-visual experiential sensations reflected by the representational information deep within natural and life scenes, and transforms his observations into image vocabulary characterized by a high degree of aesthetics. Abiding by the natural and artistic perceptual forms of images, his lens language and picture composition blend naturally.
Angkor Wat Series - Boundaries
In the previous tweet, we introduced some of Zeng Jianlong's series of works. This time, we invite him in the form of an interview to gain an in-depth understanding of his artistic journey and creative thinking. Meanwhile, Zeng Jianlong's artworks have been launched on the Rongshe Art Platform. For details, please consult Rongshe customer service or "click the original text" to enter the Rongshe Art Store.
M: Mika
Z: Zeng Jianlong
M: When did you start formally engaging with photography?
Z: In fact, photography started when I was studying at the art academy in 1995. At that time, we all took photos with Seagull brand cameras at school and developed the black-and-white film ourselves. This was the first time I got in touch with photography, and I didn't have too many passionate pursuits.
Urban Imprint Series - Myriads of Living Beings
M: Most of your works are visual discoveries captured through a macro lens and transformed into images. Was this unique creative approach an accidental attempt and discovery at first, or were you inspired by someone? Do you still have any memory of your first work?
Z: Speaking of my micro-visual creation, it should date back to 2010 when I went to study at Politecnico di Milano as an exchange student. During those two months in Europe, apart from regular classes, we also went out for visits and field studies. It was my first time attending the European Biennale in Venice. The exhibition venue of the Venice Biennale offered a wealth of diverse visual experiences—there was the dialogue between the aged architecture itself and light and shadow, as well as art installations created by artists. I took photos casually with my camera, and that might have planted a subtle influence. Suddenly, I found that many partial compositions were extremely beautiful, so I started trying to record them with my lens. Back at the hotel, I began editing and reviewing the photos, and gradually, I discovered another kind of visual perception—the presentation of micro-vision. Wandering through the streets of Venice's ancient city, the traces of years gone by filled me with excitement. I kept breaking through my own perceptions, seeking the beauty of nature and the beauty of time. That marked the beginning of the first stage of my micro-visual exploration. Of course, viewing a large number of artworks in art galleries also had a profound impact on me.
Song Dynasty Landscape Imprint: Red Series
Green Series of Song Dynasty Landscape Imprints
Urban Imprint Series - Divine Beasts
M: What's the biggest change in your creative work from the beginning to now?
Z: I think the biggest change is the constant exploration of the relationship between art and nature. In the past, I mostly focused on superficial composition and recording. Now, I tend to endow my works with artistic sensory expressions and thematic thinking. My creative methods increasingly involve considering their contemporaneity and superimposing artistic fantasies. Therefore, I've started to experiment with different ways of presenting visual impressions. The most representative example is the series I created in Angkor Wat last year, which manages to modernize the aesthetics of Angkor Wat. This is how I began to seek diverse forms of expression.
Urban Imprint Series - Scale
Urban Window | Variable size
Oriental Landscape Series
The Third Country
M: Have you had any new creations recently?
Z: I’ve been creating occasionally lately, but not much. Sometimes I come across scenes by chance when visiting construction sites or going out, so I take records, but there’s no complete thought process behind them. Creation requires time and the feeling of serendipity; otherwise, there’s no inspiration. Of course, in the future, I will continue to discover beauty through my micro-vision, uncover the stories behind time, and time itself allows us to rethink the future.
Art of Pigs - Mirror Image · Pig
All the above works are available for collection.
For details, please consult Rongshe customer service or "click the original text" to enter the Rongshe Art Store.
The term "image" originated from Chinese classical art theory. Artists shuttle between the tangible "image" and the intangible "meaning". Zeng Jianlong's re-composition of "image" extends into the intangible "meaning". The seven points of Zeng Jianlong's creation are the scenes, events, experiences in life and self-perception and self-examination. The capture of perceptual consciousness and the transformation of rationality are the sources of the vitality of his works. Time can make us rethink the future and look forward to it.
“Don’t shoot what it looks like. Shoot what it feels like.”
——David Alan Harvey
