Li Zeyan(b. 1988) was born and bred in Chengdu where he currently lives. His practice of film photography started in 2009. He travels across cities and regions and recreates everyday scenes with a camera. Curious for the world, he explores the borderline between the abstract and the reality, composes spirits, emotions, illusions, places, and relations into a poem, and visualizes memories.
Would you see an ice sculpture if you turn on the fountain?
Growing in Southwest China, I had never been to cold cities during my upbringing, so I decided to visit the Northeast in winter to test my tolerance to the cold as well as to view the sky colour at a higher latitude. When I dealt with the cold, an excitement crept into me; it seemed unrelated to the snow yet was constructed by the street scenes coated in ice and snow. Dirty trodden ice, heaps of snow on a deserted ground, the new path that cleaved the snow heaps; animals, plants, buildings, vehicles, etc. were all dominated by the cold, losing their original shape or location, but established a good rapport with the environment. Though big cities in China share a considerable similarity, that, however, was a whole new landscape that partook of the cold; it emanated a refreshing yet bewitching aura, which got me touched and drenched.
To view more of Li Zeyan’s work please visit their website.