Maleonn

I have two identities. One is as a director, the other is as a photographer. Video direction is the career through which I make a living, so this is why a lot of my habits from that side of things inevitably influence my other identity, as photographer. Therein lies my most notable qualities as a photographer: manipulation and dramatic reappearance.

First and foremost in my work is the element of image manipulation, a photo technique totally removed from conventional photography as a way to record life. I have no interest in capturing the moment in the darkness. Capturing any feeling in this way is full of distance and cannot fully demonstrate the real beauty of life. I instead have a strong desire to manipulate the objects before my lens. I always hope that they can be somehow be influenced by me so that they might fully enter into that atmosphere which I setup for them. Similarly, I hope that they will become an instrument through which to narrate. Also, they should be a symbol.

The other characteristic of my photographs is dramatic reappearance. Some of my overseas friends use this phrase to comment on my work: “dramatic or cinematic.” Apparently, I love these two elements. Actually though, the appearance of the two words similarly stems from my video directing career habits.

I hope the expression behind these works is direct and purposeful in this way—that the slice of life, the instant snapshot of our reality is not simply a static one. Although the image is still, the spiritual context still needs to be expressed. The moment I capture should be full of dramatic force and strong feelings of narration.

However, I’m also not intent on telling a story. I’d like to provide a mirror to the viewers so that they might see some of their own thinking and their own sense through the mirror that is my photography. Otherwise too, you could say I provide a labyrinth, a huge one with lots of entrances and lots of exits as well. The viewers can walk around and realize their own existence by getting through it.

Sometimes I also make single a work, but I’ve been mad about producing series over the past year. I hope the appearance of the series has a stronger effect on its viewers, and a more abundant feeling of space that can contain more of the thoughts of the viewers.

Maybe all artists are the same, but all of my works over the course of my life are just a huge series, which presents the unique and irreplaceable meaning of my life.

I’m sedulously seeking a kind of "composing" method through which to present my ideas more accurately in my works. Therefore, I have to arrange everything except for those other, unrelated elements that will happen by accident in my photography. In fact, all that I intend to set up is an image that is as close as possible to reality and existence.

Creating my work sometimes takes quite a long time and, sometimes, a very short one, depending on my inspirations. I’m a person who loves to think and who always has lots of fantasies. These fantasies come from some of my opinions on life. Just like a dreaming man, I’d like to represent the dreams in my photos by deliberate arrangement after I wake up.

Themes and content are very important to me. I always hope that my photography will be like a poem, comprised of several simple words, but showing my intent and many thought processes. What generates this power is the profundity of themes and the great amount of content present.

Form and aesthetics are very important as well. I’ve studied the fine arts for over 11 years, and that’s why I seek the perfection of my images subconsciously. In my opinion, the perfection of an image gives an enormous impetus to both theme and the content. Using an extremely beautiful image to narrate an extremely desperate story, that will generate a powerful reaction.

What i’m seeking in my works is the woefully power given by contradictory. As an old saying in china: Life is an extremely beautiful fur coat, but overgrowes fleaes.

I’m not that good at philosophy, bu t i believe the essence of the life is the doomed sadness and loneliness. When life is still going on, we have to forget the sadness and live with singing and dancing merrily.

Once i wrote preface for my work "My circus": My life is a circus performance without any audiences. I’m only a lonely clown, but continue to play joyfully.

I’m an optimist from my surface life as my works full of humorous and funny information, sometimes make people laughing. But internality is so pessimistic. When you read through my works carefully, you can find out the helplessness and lonelyness.

I’m both a director and a photographer, a optimist and a pessimist, a kid and an over matured guy. My works is beautiful and moving sadly. I think all about myself is syntheses, hardly to be described simply and clearly.