A hand with a bleeding wound on the palm, with blood dripping from it, reaching towards a bright light source

Water & Trees by Zihan Zhang

Photography June 21 2024

Intro

Zihan Zhang explores the connection between nature and human emotion by photographing trees as symbols of life and emotional continuity.

View of tree branches and green leaves against a clear blue sky.
A tree with lush green leaves growing over a body of water, with a large white rock at its base.
A pathway flanked by trees and greenery, with signs pointing to sightseeing spots and a wooden post with a bird sculpture on top, set against a partly cloudy sky.
A tall tree with a thin trunk and abundant green leaves in a forest setting.
Silhouette of a tree with branches and leaves against a cloudy sky with sunlight peeking through.
Black and white photograph of leafless tree branches against the sky.
Tree with snow-covered branches and leaves, black and white photograph.
Tree branches illuminated at night against dark sky.
A small leafless tree in snow at night with a dark background and a shadow cast on the snow.
Bare tree branches at night against a dark sky.
A black and white, high-contrast image of a tree viewed from below, with glowing white outlines highlighting the branches and trunk against a dark background.
View through a window with a metal frame, showing a leafless tree outside and some wires, with a sign with Chinese characters partially visible at the bottom.
A human hand with a fresh, bloody wound on the palm, with blood dripping down and dark veins visible beneath the skin, reaching toward a bright light source.

From the Artist

“In the context of deconstruction, I have been photographing the trunks of trees. These trees under the camera, day and night, in the film and digital carrier, colored and grey, all show different poses for me to interpol1ate.

Staring at the trees, I understand that the trees are the carriers of water, water is a symbol of emotion, and life is continuously formed. I liked Cai Mingliang's movies because they always feel wet, moistured. He constantly stared at Li Kangsheng's body, seeing his body as a container, aging from young to old, and continuously endowed with emotion.

Trees standing still in the images started to feel like the characters walking in the movies, representing the passing of time. When the blood dripped from my hand, it formed a texture. I felt it for a moment, as did the trace of the water passing through the tree's body. I recorded these ordinary pictures of my life and kept taking them, occasionally glimpsing such beautiful scenes.”

Credits

By

Zihan Zhang

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