Hai Bo

In 1982, when Hai Bo first took a photography class at university, he became fascinated by the everlasting moment solidified by the camera. Compared with subjective oil painting, Hai Bo found that photography reflected reality and nature and enabled him to better express his feelings.

He began to photograph in his hometown, in rural Northeast China. At first, his photography reflected a strong connection to the Russian landscape painting of his education. Later he began photographing his relatives and friends. In response to nostalgia for the 1960s and 70s, he found old photographs of groups of people and attempted to re-compose those sittings according to the original arrangement. By repeating the perspective and arrangement, he tries to reverse the changes while allowing the participants to revive an old dream. With a belief that “what is more powerful than art is the life per se”, Hai Bo has mined his familiar rural life theme for 20 years. The photographic techniques he uses are mostly simple and plain; however, those works have a spiritual power through evoking personal memories.