| Most of my work is inspired by my experience of everyday life. I recently saw a film Trivial Matters directed by Peng Hao-Xiang, who based this movie on his personal life and his friends’ experiences, which I found very moving. “All you need is tension,” Peng said. “If there’s tension, then you only need a few characters. If there’s no tension, you could have 500 cars crashing into each other and the movie still wouldn’t be compelling.” I completely agree with him. A “big” film doesn’t mean the scenes have to be grand and impressive. With the most simple photography and storyline, a film can still move its audience to tears. | 
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Dong Jun is an artist based in Xi-An, China.
Dong Jun, Model Series, 4, 2005. Photograph, 180 cm x 180 cm. Courtesy of the artist and Long March Space, Beijing.Most of my work is inspired by my experience of everyday life. I recently saw a film Trivial Matters directed by Peng Hao-Xiang, who based this movie on his personal life and his friends’ experiences, which I found very moving. “All you need is tension,” Peng said. “If there’s tension, then you only need a few characters. If there’s no tension, you could have 500 cars crashing into each other and the movie still wouldn’t be compelling.” I completely agree with him. A “big” film doesn’t mean the scenes have to be grand and impressive. With the most simple photography and storyline, a film can still move its audience to tears. We live in an age where people are becoming more and more impatient and restless. Everything is done only for profit.
Through my work I wish to return to reality, especially because in Xi-An, an old and conservative Chinese city where I live, there is a tendency to long for and glorify the past, particularly the “golden age” of the Tang Dynasty—a relatively peaceful and stable time in which literature and arts flourished. But I want to document my observation of the world and the people around me. I am fascinated by people, the nature of human relationships, and the residing conflicts. In a world overwhelmed by globalization, we have lost the courage to even look a stranger or ordinary person in the eye. The subjects in the Model Series could be you, or any one of us, and they speak an international language. Their stories and experiences are written across their faces. Through these photographs I want to force viewers to look closely at these people, and in turn, reflect on their own identity.
Problems that I encounter when working are mainly external, but I think there are effective ways of getting around them. I was once investigated during photo shoots because in China there are a lot of topics and places that still remain taboo. Artistic discussion on these issues cannot change the way things are.
The “real” world is full of contradictions. There are both official and unofficial versions of history, and language can be ambiguous. We have a subjective view of life. People are affected by their emotions and experience. The world I see is not necessarily real. The way I see the world is not necessarily how everybody else sees it. I love the nature and charm of documentary films—their unpredictability and uncertainty. I put less emphasis on the place or the context, prefering to focus on people. Life is full of suspense. It is rich. It doesn’t matter in which direction things are developing, or the speed at which they happen. In the end the destination is always the same.
