Gulu - Wild Photos

“WILDPHOTOS” is a collection of almost 300 polaroid pictures that I took between 2017 and 2021. On a photography level, through the peculiarity of polaroids, I carried out a second creation, including painting, collage, film transfer and flame burning. From the content to its overall structure, these works are rebellion and subversion against the tradition. But what I want to clarify is that these pictures oppose the restraints of reality while cheering for the expression of freedom, embodying the Chinese philosophy of the Yin & the Yang, or the philosophy of mutual enhancement and inhibition between the five elements. I sum that up with “the coexisting of water and fire”.
 
As everyone knows, the imaging of Polaroid photos is inseparable from the liquid chemicals in the photographic paper, and the technology of secondary processing of "film transfer". Moreover, the photographic paper must be peeled off, and the picture immersed in the water; this way the water becomes the medium that will complete the transfer, leading its own characteristics to appear on the picture. That is how eventually water appears on the work. Thus, I wanted to take one more step, as I thought of the opposite of water, fire. Water represents Yin, fire Yang. It seems like paper-based Polaroids have never come in relation to fire, so during the development of an image, I tried to involve fire. Thereby, making water and fire, these antagonists create a new collision right on the same picture, consequently mixing into a new work of art. After testing relentlessly for a year, I put part of the resulting images in the second half of a book. It seems just like offering sacrifices in primitive religions, as the people in the Polaroids went through a baptism of water and fire, almost making me see God.
 
Following a timeline, the book “WILDPHOTOS” can be divided into three macro sections: the first part includes works from 2017 to 2020; the central part focuses on the collage of film transfer; the last part consists of the new trials made in 2021. The name of the book has two levels of meaning: one is the English name “WILDPHOTOS”, as this collection makes the body the main content of the book. My and the models’ common objective is to get rid of the false and retain the true, making the human body return to the natural state, making people human again, finding a freer, wild condition. The second one is the Chinese name “歪风”, as these works lack of a place to exist in the conservative, biased and narrow-minded atmosphere of the Chinese society. Being regarded as "unhealthy tendencies" of moral corruption, what we have to do is to let this unhealthy trend blowdown and let countless weeds grow again.
 
This catalogue is published on the occasion of Gulu’s exhibition organized by Migrant Bird Space Berlin, curated by Lu Mei.
Edited by Lu Mei
Photographs and preface: Gulu
Book Design: Camilla Dal Cero, Yizhi Zhang
Print: Gallery Print, Berlin
Edition: 600
 
© 2022 Gulu, Migrant Bird Space, All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the publishers. Any breach of copyright and intellectual property laws shall be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
 
Gulu is represented by the gallery Migrant Bird Space Berlin Koppenplatz 5, 10115 Berlin
Instagram: @migrant_bird_space
Website: www.migrantbirdspace.com
Mail: mail@migrantbirdspace.com
Tel: +49 (0)30 49952524
 
For more information about the artist: https://www.migrantbirdspace.com/gallery/artists/118
https://www.artsy.net/partner/migrant-bird-space/artists/li-xiang-aka-gulu
 
The usual shipping costs within Germany up to 5kg apply. Large formats and bulky goods will be charged separately. For an estimate of shipping costs outside of Germany, please contact us directly.
 
书名：《WILDPHOTOS》
 
作者：古露（Gulu）
 
出版：迁鸟空间柏林（Migrant Bird Space Berlin）
 
年份：2022年
 
尺寸：210 x 297毫米
 
页面数量：未提及
 
封面：硬精装，银色印刷
 
版次：600册
 
这本书是古露在2017年至2021年期间拍摄的近300张拍立得照片的集合。在摄影层面上，通过拍立得的独特性，他进行了第二次创作，包括绘画、拼贴、胶片转印和火焰燃烧等。从内容到整体结构，这些作品都是对传统的反叛和颠覆。但我想澄清的是，这些照片反对现实的束缚，同时为自由表达加油，体现了中国哲学的阴阳之道，或者五行之间相互促进和抑制的哲学。我用“水与火共生”来总结这一点。
 
众所周知，拍立得照片的成像离不开照片纸中的液体化学品，以及“胶片转印”的二次处理技术。此外，还必须剥离照片纸，并将照片浸入水中；这样水就成为了完成转印的介质，使自身的特性出现在照片上。这就是为什么最终水会出现在作品中的原因。因此，我想要更进一步，我想到了水的对立面，火。水代表阴，火代表阳。纸质的拍立得照片似乎从未与火有过关系，因此在图像的开发过程中，我尝试引入了火。因此，水和火，这两个对立物在同一张图片上产生了新的碰撞，最终融合成了一件新的艺术品。经过一年的不懈测试，我将其中一部分图片放在了书的后半部分。这似乎就像在原始宗教中献祭一样，因为照片中的人们经历了水火的洗礼，几乎让我看到了神。
 
按时间顺序，书籍《WILDPHOTOS》可以分为三个宏观部分：第一部分包括2017年至2020年的作品；中间部分聚焦于胶片转印的拼贴作品；最后一部分包括2021年的新尝试。这本书的名称有两个意义层面：一个是英文名“WILDPHOTOS”，因为这个集合使得身体成为了书的主要内容。我和模特们的共同目标是摆脱虚伪，保留真实，让人体回归自然状态，让人重新成为人，找到一个更自由、更野性的状态。第二个意义是中文名“歪风”，因为这些作品在中国社会保守、偏见和狭隘的氛围中缺乏存在的位置。被视为“不健康倾向”的道德败坏，我们要做的就是让这种不健康的趋势消失，让无数的野草重新生长。
 
这本目录书是在由迁鸟空间柏林举办的古露展览之际出版的，由路梅策展。编辑：路梅。摄影和序言：古露。书籍设计：卡米拉·达尔塞罗（Camilla Dal Cero）、张一之。印刷：柏林画廊印刷。版次：600册。
 
© 2022 古露，迁鸟空间，保留所有权利。
未经出版商事先书面许可，本出版物任何部分不得以任何形式或方式进行复制或传播。违反版权和知识产权法的任何行为都将依法追究责任。
 
古露由柏林的迁鸟空间代表。
地址：柏林 Koppenplatz 5，邮编10115。
Instagram: @migrant_bird_space
网站: www.migrantbirdspace.com
邮件: mail@migrantbirdspace.com
电话: +49 (0)30 49952524
 
有关艺术家更多信息，请访问：https://www.migrantbirdspace.com/gallery/artists/118
https://www.artsy.net/partner/migrant-bird-space/artists/li-xiang-aka-gulu
 
德国境内通常的5公斤内的运费适用。大尺寸和笨重货物将单独收费。对于德国境外运费的估算，请直接与我们联系。