Dashen Zhang (b.2002), currently lives and works in London and Jinan. His work continuously explores the ontology and history of photography, using images as his primary medium while simultaneously investigating photography as a subject, connecting historical narratives and personal emotions. 

dashenzhang02@outlook.com
Instagram: @dashshenz


    07. Discovery of Dragon’s Vein

2023-2024
Photography

Ambrotype,
4 x 5 inch each

This group of works uses analog photography combined with generative image technology to fabricate the story of a geological expedition in the late Qing Dynasty - in early June 1900, Cixi secretly ordered minister to assess the “dragon vein” of Nanjing in preparation for the withdrawal of the imperial family. British photographer Harry Pressman was sent to investigate in the form of photography. I used traditional photography method to simulate the image that the fictional photographer Harry would present to the Empress Dowager Cixi. Also, I used Midjourney to generate images in a similar style and present them side-by-side to the audience. The project is presented in Ambrotype, exploring the formal language of colonialism under the representation of classical craft, and experimenting with the expression possibilities of wet plates from a historical perspective.

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