Decentring the Human Perspective through Abstraction: Two Examples fromContemporary Photography in China
Abstract
Focusing on the works of Jiang Pengyi and Chen Xiaoyi, the study investigates how experimental photographic practices challenge the anthropocentric foundations of traditional photographic representation. Jiang’s experimental projects, based on cameraless photography and material encounters with light, insects, and chemical processes, foreground the agency of non-human forces in the production of images. Chen’s work, shaped by Chinese aesthetics and philosophy, constructs a visual language that avoids objectification and emphasises continuity between human and natural forms. Situating these practices within the history of abstract photography and within contemporary debates on experimental image-making in relation to the ecological crisis, the article argues that both artists articulate a form of abstraction that is neither purely formal nor detached from reality. Instead, their works operate as visual investigations of matter, perception, and environmental change, offering new ways of thinking about photography’s role in times of planetary instability.
Format
Crossmark
License
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Arte, Individuo y Sociedad is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
