Chinese photographer Chen Man

[Randy W]

Photography Friday from the Shanghaiist - See more of Chen Man's work at Photography of China.

Edited May 13, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Chinese photographer Chen Man’s new work for French fashion brand Dior has sparked controversy online, with many netizens claiming it shows “beauty” under a “Western gaze”, and accused her of smearing the image of Chinese women.

Since 2003, Chen has become one of China’s highest-profile fashion photographers. From her works, it appears that Chen prefers female models with narrow, single-lidded eyes and a sense of traditional East Asian elegance.

Learn more about Chen Man: https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1001746/

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China, Captured: How Chen Man Redefined Fashion
Unapologetically bold and colorful, the photographer’s portraiture disrupted the country’s fashion industry and put contemporary Chinese beauty in the spotlight.

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Since emerging in 2003, Chen has become one of China’s highest-profile fashion photographers. Her work regularly appears on the covers of the Chinese editions of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle. She is known for her bold, vibrant style that merges Chinese tradition with high fashion; she has shot Chinese models in Tiananmen Square and at the Great Wall, complimenting them with folk symbols like candied hawthorns on a stick and old men carrying bird cages.

From her works, it would seem that Chen prefers female models with narrow, single-lidded eyes and a sense of traditional East Asian elegance. In August 2012, the British fashion magazine i-D invited Chen to shoot the cover for a special edition. She chose the theme “Whatever the Weather,” for which she photographed 12 young Chinese women from various ethnic minorities. “Dark Red,” one of the most popular covers, featured a Tibetan girl whose wink underscored her restrained, quiet beauty. Chen says: “As a professional visual artist, I believe that I should help more people recognize the face of modern Chinese beauty with greater confidence.”

But when Chen first launched her career with a series of covers for Vision, a leading Chinese fashion and subculture magazine, she received mixed reviews. Images she created from 2003 to 2007 melded photography with graphic design, which she also studied in college. Traditional photographers said her early images stood out only because they were heavily retouched. But to many, the unexpected digital elements heightened the creativity and tension of her pieces.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)