Ren Hang’s Photographic Wonderland: An Analysis of His Genderless Visual Language

Quin ana: e is a do Depa amen o de His o ia da A e, (20), 2021. ISSN-e: 2340-0005
h ps://doi.o g/10.15304/quin ana.20.7471
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Colabo acións
REN HANG’S PHOTOGRAPHIC WONDERLAND: AN ANALYSIS OF
HIS GENDERLESS VISUAL LANGUAGE
Mai e Luengo Agui e
Uni e sidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU and Uni e si é Bo deaux Mon aigne, España
[email p o ec ed]
Recibido: 04/02/2021; Acep ado: 28/05/2021
Abs ac
The wo k o he Chinese pho og aphe and poe Ren Hang (1987-2017) was ecei ed in e na ionally
by emphasising he sexual con en and e olu iona y cha ac e o he use o naked bodies. None heless,
he ecen yea s a e his dea h ha e led o a di e siica ion o in es iga ions in e e ence o his polysemic
pho og aphy. This a icle aims o con ibu e o he plu aliza ion o he eadings a ound his wo k, ha ing
de eloped an in es iga ion on he isual gende less ea men o he people posing o him. Fo his pu pose,
i s ly, he a icle depa s om he e ision o he Eu opean ecep ion o his wo k, ollowed by he s udy o
he signiicance o nakedness and gende . Then, he iden iica ion and in es iga ion o he speciic elemen s
wi hin he wo k o he a is ha con ibu e o a possible gende less eading is unde aken.
Keywo ds: Ren Hang; pho og aphy; body; nude; gende .
Resumen
La ob a del o óg a o y poe a chino Ren Hang (1987-2017) ue ecibida en el con ex o in e nacional
des acando su con enido sexual y el ca ác e e oluciona io del uso de cue pos desnudos. Sin emba go, los
ecien es años pós umos han dado paso a la di e siicación de in es igaciones e e en es a su polisémica
o og aía. Es e a ículo p opone una con ibución al ac ual p oceso de plu alización de ap oximaciones,
habiendo desa ollado una in es igación en o no al a amien o isual sin géne o de las pe sonas
que posaban pa a él. Pa a ello, p ime amen e, se pa e de la e isión de la ecepción eu opea de su
ob a, acompañada del es udio del signiicado de la desnudez y del géne o. A con inuación, se ealiza la
iden iicación e in es igación de los elemen os conc e os hallados den o de su ob a que con ibuyen a una
posible lec u a sin géne o.
Palab as cla e: Ren Hang; o og aía; cue po; desnudo; géne o.
Luengo Agui e
Quin ana: e is a do Depa amen o de His o ia da A e, (20): 1-14. 2021. ISSN-e: 2340-0005
h ps://doi.o g/10.15304/quin ana.20.7471
2
INTRODUCTION
The pho og aphe and poe Ren Hang (Changchun, 1987 – Beijing, 2017) le a as legacy
o mo e han a housand images showing naked models in a a ie y o pos u es. His wo k has
con inued o be exhibi ed in Eu ope a e his decease, as his popula i y con inued o inc ease.
Un o una ely, wi hin his con ex , his complex images ha e been equen ly educed o a eading
based on hei po en ial sexual con en . Because o his sho as well as in ense ca ee , he e ha e
no been ye much esea ch ega ding his a . Ne e heless, in he ecen yea s esea che s a e
showing an inc easing in e es owa ds his wo k, c ea ing new eadings eme ging om a a ie y
o disciplines.
A sign o his new u n was he inal p ojec by an E asmus Mundus Mas e ’s Deg ee in
Women’s and Gende S udies s uden . Indeed, Xu Jiachen analysed he ela ion be ween quee
bodies and he non-humans in Ren Hang’s pho og aphy. She depa ed om a sociological app oach
emphasising he links be ween he quee o colou and he non-human elemen (2018). Mo e
ecen ly, Nicholas Gamso w o e a publica ion o he jou nal o he Asia A A chi e, whe e he
discussed he ela ionship o he pho og aphe ’s wo k wi h he ci y, ocusing on quee body poli ics
(2019). Likewise, young esea che Ada Quondama eo om he Uni e si y o Bologna w o e abou
he psychological aspec s o he poe y by Ren such as dep ession, he expe ience o loneliness and
sel -pe cep ion (2020).
Indeed, i any hing, Ren’s wo k can ha e many di e en eadings, as people ha wo ked wi h
him and his pho og aphs acknowledge. In an in e iew, e en he model Ke Xin, who posed o Ren
Hang, alked abou he mix o di iness and pu i y ha he images had o he (VICE Japan 2013)1.
This a ie y o depic ions o e s he chance o make di e en eadings ha may e en one con adic
he o he . Bu i is he e whe e he ichness o his wo k lies, endless eadings a ising om i , as
cu a o Thomas Dukes has indica ed2.
In his a icle, I in end o con ibu e o his di e siica ion endencies, as hey seem o be he
bes ool o unde s anding he polysemic wo k o he pho og aphe . Thus, I p opose edi ec ing
he discussion owa ds he gende less aspec o his wo k, since his pho og aphs can be aluable
con ibu ions o he de elopmen o quee aes he ics.
This p ac ice o challenging and elec ing on gende no ms h ough enewed aes he ics, as
well as expe imen ing wi h he lesh, has some p eceden s wi hin con empo a y pho og aphy.
Conce ning he Wes e n a is ic c ea ions, I would like o men ion wo a is ic couples and oman ic
pa ne s, which we e inluenced by su ealism. In he 1920s and 1930s, Claude Cahun and Suzanne
Malhe be (be e known as Ma cel Moo e), c ea ed wo ks mainly consis ing o po ai s and sel -
po ai s play ully combining emale and male elemen s, hus, explo ing gende luidi y. Then, Hans
Bellme and Unica Zü n a e o be named. In a se ies o images known as Un i led (Unica Bound)
(1958), Zü n was pho og aphed by he husband, while she was ied wi h a co d ha de o med he
emale body in a dis u bing manne .
Fu he mo e, he e has also been ele an pho og aphic wo k de eloped in he Chinese con ex
elec ing on gende and bodies, especially in he 90s. Du ing his pe iod o ime, Xing Danwen
c ea ed I am a woman (1994-1996), a se ies o pho og aphs she ook o o he women wi hou
clo hes, in ep esen a ion o he inne ques ions. Simila ly, ela ed wi h eminini y bu e asing
bo de s wi h masculini y, pe o mance a is Ma Liuming c ea ed an al e ego named Fen Ma
REN HANG’S PHOTOGRAPHIC WONDERLAND: AN ANALYSIS OF HIS
GENDERLESS VISUAL LANGUAGE
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Liuming. In he image Fen Ma Liuming’s Lunch (1994), we can iden i y he ambiguous iden i y he
c ea ed by u ilising his eminine acial ai s in combina ion wi h his nude cisgende male body.
This lack o cla i y in gende classiica ion is also p esen in he wo k by wo a is s who
app oached bodies associa ed wi h na u e in a non-bina y way. Fi s ly, Cang Xin in collabo a ion
wi h Zhang Huan c ea ed he wo k To Add One Me e o an Anonymous Moun ain (1995) in which
naked bodies appea ed piled on op o a moun ain, adding an addi ional me e heigh wi h hei
lesh, wi h no gende dis inc ion. Secondly, in he ea ly 21s cen u y, Liu Wei cap u ed ne he pa s
o ben bodies I looks like a landscape (2004) c ea ing a enewed landscape simula ing adi ional
Chinese ink d awing.
Once p e ious cases ha e been p esen ed, I will p oceed o he analysis o he wo k by Ren
Hang. In o de o s udy he gende less aes he ic con ibu ion ha Ren made o con empo a y a ,
I begin by examining he Eu opean ecep ion, ocusing on he cu a o ial selec ions ega ding bo h
pho obooks and exhibi ions. Then, I p esen he app oach ha he a is had owa ds nudi y and
gende . Finally, I iden i y and s udy he isual elemen s o his pho og aphic co pus, in o de o
de elop a new eading o his wo k.
THE EUROPEAN RECEPTION AND BEYOND
In o de o unde s and he gene al ision o he a is ’s wo k de eloping in Eu ope, I will
p esen some o he miles ones om he beginning. The e a e wo impo an igu es a he s a
o his in e na ional ca ee : Ai Weiwei and Pie e Bessa d. Fi s con ac s wi h he Old Con inen
came hanks o Ai Weiwei, who in i ed Ren Hang o pa icipa e in he exhibi ion FUCK OFF 2
in 2013 a he Museum o G oningen3. A yea la e , he F ench publishing house specialised on
pho og aphy Édi ions Bessa d, p in ed a limi ed edi ion o 500 pho obook o he a is i led: The
B igh es Ligh Runs Too Fas . The a is used o wo k wi h anzines back in China, which we e o
humble dissemina ion by na u e. So, his publica ion in collabo a ion wi h he F ench edi o was
an essen ial impulse in his ca ee because i succeeded in eaching a b oade public.
Ano he impo an miles one is he ex ensi e pho obook edi ed by he well-known publishing
house Taschen in 2016. Up un il now, his is he bigges pho obook publica ion o his wo k a ailable
o he public. Now his websi e has disappea ed; his book is an impo an ool o unde s and he
na a i e p o ided in his b oad edi ion a ailable o eade s. The selec ion o he images was mos ly
composed o hose showing he geni alia and sexuali y in a qui e s aigh o wa d manne (Ren
and Hanson 2016). This accoun s o one pa o Ren’s wo k, which unde lines he hype sexual.
Howe e , i may c ea e di icul ies o he audience in ha ing a comple e comp ehension o Ren’s
body o wo k.
Luengo Agui e
Quin ana: e is a do Depa amen o de His o ia da A e, (20): 1-14. 2021. ISSN-e: 2340-0005
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Fig. 1. Ren Hang, 2012. Image cou esy o Ren Hang/ Gale ie Pa is-Beijing.
Ano he poin o be conside ed, is ha he images showing naked bodies a e no po nog aphic
by hemsel es, bu hey become so in he iewe ’s mind. Thus, seeing po nog aphically could be
deined as s a ing a some hing o sexual exci emen . Indeed, S ephen Mum o d a gues ha he
po nog aphic elemen comes in he gaze o he obse e and ha wo di e en people can see he
same hing in wo e y di e en ways. He e en sugges ed ha people may see hings di e en ly,
depending on hei gende (2013). In ela ion o he gaze and pleasu e, esea che Chen Shuxia
has main ained ha in Ren’s pho og aphs, he e is a oyeu is ic ela ionship be ween he iewe
and he bodies due o nakedness, you h and he an as ical composi ions (2018). Mo eo e , B ad
Feue helm e en a gued ha “ he e is almos a oyeu is ic ou ism in ol ed by he Wes e n eye bound
o he boom o his ca ee ” (2015). Consequen ly, no only does gende a ec he iewing expe ience,
bu also he socio-cul u al backg ound; p obably, he ecep ion in Eu ope has been la gely a ec ed
by his way o seeing as well. Also, he ac ha he models we e asked o pose hiding hei ace, may
ha e acili a ed his oyeu is ic p ac ice, as i can be seen in he image below (ig. 1).4
The e a e ye o he assump ions ha ha e been made when desc ibing he wo k by Ren Hang,
which has o do wi h supe iciali y, oge he wi h ideas ela ed o he e olu iona y. An example
o he combina ion o hese elemen s, is he solo exhibi ion Lo e, Ren Hang. This majo display
o 150 images a he Eu opean House o Pho og aphy in Pa is was held om Ma ch 2019 o May
2019, in which he “naked e olu iona y” idea was unde lined. The cu a o ial app oach was mos ly
o ganized in a ch oma ic and s ylis ic way, ga he ing images ha we e aes he ically ma ching,
which could ha e been comple ed wi h some insigh in o he di e en na a i es. This exhibi ion
was la e displayed a C/O Be lin Founda ion wi h he same i le, om Decembe 2019 o Feb ua y
2020. Due o he la ge numbe o a wo ks shown in hese exhibi ions, I conside hem oge he
wi h Taschen publica ion as he mos inluen ial owa ds he public, consequen ly c ea ing a
supe icial na a i e a ound his wo k.
REN HANG’S PHOTOGRAPHIC WONDERLAND: AN ANALYSIS OF HIS
GENDERLESS VISUAL LANGUAGE
Quin ana: e is a do Depa amen o de His o ia da A e, (20): 1-14. 2021. ISSN-e: 2340-0005
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Fo una ely, he e a e o he al e na i e eadings ha ha e been done, such as he exhibi ion
a he Open Eye Galle y in Li e pool. The display in i ed he audience o elec on Ren Hang’s
pho og aphy om ano he pe spec i e: hinking abou he a ec i i y, as i was pa o he collec i e
exhibi ion Wake Up Toge he displayed along wi h Robin Hammond and held be ween 2018 and
2019. I was o ganized in he con ex o Homo opia Fes i al 2018, an a and he i age es i al
dedica ed o he LGBT+ communi y. In his di ec ion, we ind he exhibi ion held in I aly a he
Cen o pe l’a e con empo anea Luigi Pecci om June o Augus 2020. An exhibi ion ha in he
websi e in oduc ion al eady unde lined he a ie y o pe spec i es app oaching Ren’s wo k, by
e en men ioning he lack o impo ance o gende ha I a gue in his a icle.
Ne e heless, one may a gue ha he supe iciali y o he cu a ing s yle in some o he
exhibi ions, may co espond o he supposed i oli y o Ren Hang’s wo k. I is ce ainly a eading
ha may a ise. This supe iciali y was signaled by Ai Weiwei, while de ending he exis ence o deep
meanings in Ren’s wo k. Indeed, Ai e e ed o he la e images by Ren Hang as “poe ic and ull
o sadness” (Geno a 2017). A con adic o y in e p e a ion ha can be unde s ood ega ding he
complexi y o his wo k. Cu a o Zhang Yuli, who co-cu a ed he exhibi ion a Shanghai’s Mode n A
Base be ween July and Augus 2017, a gued ha he e was an una oidable con as in he wo k o
Ren: while he images may esul as isually b igh , hey ha e a da k side (Liang 2017).
The a is s himsel s a ed ha he e was no symbolism behind he wo k, ha i was jus o
un. Bu pho og aphy is no objec i e, as i is a way o seeing he eali y ha has been cap u ed.
So consciously o unconsciously, con en ions, desi es and belie s a e p ojec ed in o he a wo k
(Elkins 2007). In he in e iew wi h Ren’s F ench edi o , Pie e Bessa d, he old me ha e en i he
did no conside he e o be a hidden meaning in he elemen s, he acknowledged he a is had a
e y de eloped poe ic language, in which clea inluences om Lin Zhipeng could be app ecia ed5.
These could ange om he use o he naked body, o including lowe s and animals, and e en
simila backg ounds. Then, as Ren’s wo k de eloped, i di e ed mo e om he a is ha pionee ed
he concep o p i a e pho og aphy in China. I seems ha disc epancy a ound Ren’s wo k is o be
unde s ood as a cons i u ing pa o i sel .
ON THE LIMITS OF NUDITY
In Eu ope, we a e used o conside nakedness being pa o ou a is ic he i age. Since Ancien
G eece, nudes in he a is ic p ac ices ha e been common in o de o explo e he concep o beau y.
Howe e , his has no been a gen e in adi ional o ea ly con empo a y Chinese a . Nakedness in
China has adi ionally been linked wi h a lack o mo ali y in e ms o exhibi ing wha should be
pa o p i acy and, hence, was no pa icula ly popula wi hin he a is ic p ac ice back in he 80s
(K is o 1989). In ela ion o con empo a y Chinese his o y, nudi y was o icially banned since he
c ea ion o he People’s Republic o China in 1949.
Ne e heless, in he 80s, he e was a sligh change o a i ude owa ds he nude. In 1984, nude
models we e o icially admi ed again in o he a schools, in o de o explo e he beau y o he
body (The Economis 1989). In 1989 he i s exhibi ion o nudes opened a he Beijing A Galle y.
The 1990s we e a ime when ex eme pe o mances happened and he bodies we e mo e closely
ela ed o su e ing and iolence, a he han hey we e o beau y. Consequen ly, la e in 2001, he
go e nmen esponded o his kind o p ac ice wi h a decision dic a ed by he Minis y o Cul u e
o China, announcing he “Resolu ion o Cease All Pe o mances and Bloody, B u al Displays o

Luengo Agui e
Quin ana: e is a do Depa amen o de His o ia da A e, (20): 1-14. 2021. ISSN-e: 2340-0005
h ps://doi.o g/10.15304/quin ana.20.7471
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Obsceni y in he Name o A ”, making some o ms o nudi y undesi able, and showing ha i was
s ill qui e a aboo in Chinese socie y (Wu and Wang 2010, 277).
This e en coni med ha he display o nudi y emains a subjec o discussion. None heless,
a is s using naked bodies do no necessa ily do i in a dissiden way owa ds he go e nmen ,
bu a he as a way o me e explo a ion o nakedness. Ou side o China, a is s ha a e being
censo ed seem o ha e a ce ain au a ha emphasizes he e ec o hei wo k, which some imes
o e shadows one’s unde s anding o he o he aspec s o hei a is ic p oduc ion. On op o ha ,
in he pa icula case o Ren, he ac ha he decided o end his li e in 2017 has p obably s ill added
ghoulish ascina ion owa ds his wo k, unde s anding his wo k om a oman icized app oach.
Fig. 2. Ren Hang, 2012. Image cou esy o Ren Hang/ Gale ie Pa is-Beijing.
S ill, Ren himsel s a ed ha he did no conside his wo k as g ound-b eaking o e olu iona y,
a guing ha nudi y is he mos na u al s a e o he human being. Ren Hang had a down- o-Ea h
app oach in his pho og aphic p ac ice. In an in e iew wi h he B i ish Jou nal o Pho og aphy, he
a gued ha he used nudi y so ha he could eel mo e ealism and sense o p esence (2020). Ren el
ha when aking pic u es o people who we e wea ing clo hes, hey ied ha d o p esen a ce ain
image, so po aying hem nude enabled a mo e di ec and hones depic ion o hem. We can be e
unde s and his app oach by eading an answe he ga e in an in e iew wi h he magazine Medium:
“We we e bo n nude. So, alking abou e olu ion, I don’ hink he e’s any hing o e olu ionize.
Unless people a e bo n wi h clo hes on, and I wan o ake hei clo hes o , hen I hink his is a
e olu ion” (Ren and Be nha dsson 2017).
REN HANG’S PHOTOGRAPHIC WONDERLAND: AN ANALYSIS OF HIS
GENDERLESS VISUAL LANGUAGE
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This na u aliza ion o he naked body is specially unde lined in he pic u es aken ou doo s in he
wild na u e, whe e models seemed o emind us o he animal condi ion o he human, hiding he
models o example in be ween he ees (ig. 2). Also, in he same in e iew, in eac ion o he ac
ha he e is a endency o di ec ly equa e he naked body wi h sex and po nog aphy, he a i med:
“I don´ like he wo d “e o ica”, I p e e “po nog aphic” I hink i ´s mo e di ec […] I don´ need o
make i classy by calling i e o ica. I don´ hink he e is no hing w ong wi h low-class” (Ren and
Be nha dsson 2017).
Ne e heless, e en i Ren was com o able wi h his pho og aphs being iden iied as low-class,
his chameleonic a is was also ela ed o high ashion. The pho og aphe collabo a ed wi h b ands
such as Gucci as well as ashion magazines, con ibu ing o he idea ha he images ha e no hing o
do wi h he o dina y no he ulga (Anglès 2019). Ye , hese depic ions ha e also been desc ibed as
low-class, compa ing hem wi h a is Yang Yong’s se ies Fancy in Tunnel (2001- 2003) consis ing
o images o p os i u es in Shenzhen (Chen, 2018). The e seems o be a hin line be ween he ulga
and he high-class, as his wo k has been app oached om bo h. S ill a poin ha eminds us o he
deba able na u e o his images, which emain exposed o new in e p e a ions.
GENDER, LAW AND PRESENCE
Once Ren Hang’s wo k ecep ion and his own posi ion has been explained, I aim o ocus
on gende and i s appa en absence. Fo his pu pose, in his sec ion I combine he heo e ical
pe spec i e on gende o some esea che s, oge he wi h a poem by he a is himsel .
When conside ing gende , con en ion has an impo an impac on i s display. Judi h Bu le
al eady sugges ed ha he gende ed posi ion a ises om being subjec ed o egula ion, which leads
o he na u aliza ion o eminini y and masculini y in each cul u e. This is a no ma i i y om which
gende is cons uc ed and main ained, as Judi h Bu le asked:
Is he e a gende ha p e-exis s i s egula ion, o is i he case ha , in being subjec o egula ion, he gende ed
subjec eme ges, p oduced in and h ough ha pa icula o m o subjec ion? Is subjec ion no he p ocess by which
egula ions p oduce gende ? (Bu le 2004, 41).
This ques ion igge s he eade o elec on he link be ween gende and egula ion, ying o
guess who came i s , as he chicken-and-egg dilemma. The eade can implici ly unde s and he
essen ial ole o egula ion and ollowing hose ules ha c ea e gende . In he case o Ren, he made
sho poems which we e mos ly abou sexual in e cou ses bu he e we e also some ha alked
abou o he opics such as “law”. In he e y sho poem Hide-and-Seek, we can ead as i ollows:
Whe e he e is no law,
I will hide he e.
(Ren 2011)6
The a is used he name o he “Hide-and-Seek” child en game o elec on law and hiding om
i . A play ulness ha could me apho ically be ela ed o he way he also app oached his a is ic wo k
as a sha ed chee ul momen , whe e law and gende we e nowhe e o be ound. A play ul endency
o hiding and omi ing ha was e y common in his wo k, as i is shown o ins ance in an image
whe e a model is ying o hide inside a sui case (ig. 3).
Luengo Agui e
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Going back o he gende ed conce n, his was isible e en in some o Ren Hang’s ea ly wo ks,
whe e cha ac e is ics o gende luidi y could be iden iied, in e ms o gende pe o ma i i y
ela ed o clo hing and make up. Ren’s ea ly wo ks used o show people who we e almos naked,
in which he cha ac e is ics applied o no ma i e bina y gende s we e swi ched o combined in
u he explo a ion o onesel . A e wa ds, o namen s disappea ed, and he bodies we e le naked.
This naked ac o unde lined he bodily p esence and i s ma e iali y, which is o be unde s ood as
a g ound o be p oblema ised in ela ion o gende (Bu le 1993: 30). While i may be unse ling, i
opened new possibili ies o he ma e ial unde s anding o he body and i s dynamic wi h gende .
Fig. 3. Ren Hang, 2011. Image cou esy o Ren Hang/ Gale ie Pa is-Beijing.
Rela ed o his subjec , Basia Sliwinska made a e y in e es ing pa allelism when compa ing he
Cheshi e Ca om Alice’s Ad en u es in Wonde land wi h gende . She sugges ed ha ep esen a ion
is no only luid bu also happens be ween he p esence and he absence, as i is no always he e
(Sliwinska 2016). In his way, by comple ely und essing and libe a ing he body om socially
acqui ed a iices, elemen s o gende pe o ma i i y a e le ou o he isual discou se. Also, he
s angeness o he bodies makes i di icul o label hem in ela ion o any gende , as S ephanie H.
Tung p e iously sugges ed (2017).
The e o e, Ren’s wo k may p opose a challenging al e na i e o he Wes e n case o male subjec /
gaze and emale objec dicho omy. In he classical Ways o Seeing, John Be ge sugges ed ha ,
especially in Eu opean oil pain ings, men ac , and women appea . To he ex en ha in looking o
an oil pain ing, e en i he iewe is a woman, she will p obably ha e a socially male way o looking
a he a wo k (1972, 42). Indeed, Wes e n aes he ic adi ion has iden iied men wi h he eason,
mind and spi i , women ha e been linked o he body, senses and desi es, which is conside ed o
be a lowe ca ego y.
On he con a y, Chinese aes he ic adi ion was abou balance be ween body and mind. A
ha monious balance de i ed and ein e p e ed om he Con ucian aes he ic expe ience, ha can
REN HANG’S PHOTOGRAPHIC WONDERLAND: AN ANALYSIS OF HIS
GENDERLESS VISUAL LANGUAGE
Quin ana: e is a do Depa amen o de His o ia da A e, (20): 1-14. 2021. ISSN-e: 2340-0005
h ps://doi.o g/10.15304/quin ana.20.7471
9
be use ul o eminis aes he ics as E a Ki -Wah Man sugges s (2015). The close posi ion behind
he came a ha Ren Hang once occupied, is now he place o he iewe . The subjec s a e so nea o
he came a, ha i gi es a e y ac ile eeling, as Thomas Dukes p oposed in he in e iew, calling
he iewe ’s body o expe ience he a wo k, wi h no disc imina ion o he senses o gende in
compa ison wi h a ionali y 7.
TOWARDS A GENDERLESS VISUAL LANGUAGE
The influence o ad e ising aes he ics
The ea men o he images esponds also o a uni o m aes he ic, ha con ibu e o a po en ial
gende less app ecia ion. Ren Hang ecei ed educa ed in he ield o ad e isemen ; hus, his
isual language was p obably inluenced by his backg ound. Indeed, I a gue ha he a empo ali y,
uni o mi y and body agmen a ion shown in his pho og aphs (common in ma ke ing), lead o a
gende less eading.
Fi s ly, I would like o commen on he c ea ion o a empo ali y h ough he use o lash, lack
o deco a ions and cen e ed composi ion. Ren’s pho og aphs had he capaci y o s op he passage
o ime, which con as s wi h he usual depic ions o he body in Chinese a , whe e p esence is
pe cei ed as apidly coming and al eady passing away (Wiseman 2011, 131). The use o lash
can be conside ed a con adic o y signiie o he concep o a empo ali y, while a he same ime
being linked o ins an anei y. The lack o any deco a ions in he images may gi e he eeling o an
expe imen al labo a o y, con ibu ing o he non-gende - ela ed na u e o he spaces. In he same
way, he e is an impo an endency o pu he body in he cen e o he came a. These kinds o
images may ecall ashion magazines o ad e isemen echniques ha pu he ocus on he p oduc
and a oid any po en ially dis ac ing elemen s, unless hey add any signiicance on pu pose.
When ecalling Ren’s pho og aphy, he e is also a homogeneous ype o bodies ha may
c oss one’s mind. This is o say young and g ace ully hin bodies, gene ally showing clea skin
and co esponding o Chinese people. The uni o mi y o he ype o bodies may seem like a
lack o di e si y. I is impo an o acknowledge he ac ha mos o hem we e his iends,
a ound %70 he said in an in e iew (Be ha dson 2012) o ans ha wan ed o pose o him and
p obably he younges gene a ion was mo e eady o pose naked o a pho og aphy. I sugges ha
his endency o he depic ion o homogeneous bodies con ibu es o gende less aes he ics, as
p ojec ing p ejudices becomes mo e complica ed wi h li le possibili y o compa ison o be made.
Be ween he yea s 2010 and 2011, some o his ea ly images used o cap u e mannequins. This
may ha e been a sign owa ds he endency o homogeneous body ypes used o c ea e la e
composi ions. The mannequins we e pho og aphed in a a ie y o qui e isually agg essi e ways:
om lying on he s ee su ounded wi h li e and wa e melons ha seemed o almos be human
lesh, o bu ning while wea ing sho hai wigs. The inexp essi e mannequins may likewise sha e
some esemblance wi h he la e models acial exp ession.