invited photographer: Adou

A few weeks ago I discovered Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, the first art centre for contemporary photography in China. It's situated in Beijing and founded by the Chinese photographer Rongrong and the Japanese photographer Ms. inri. I can strongly recommend their homepage, where one can, among other things, get an overview over their artists and exibitions.

With the aid of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre I am now very happy to have the possibility to present Adou, a very interesting photographer.

Man Clutching Goose © Adou, 2006
"There is no difference between taking a picture of others and myself. The camera may be pointed outward, but whether you like it or not, it always reveals you."
– Adou

Children in Front of Backdrop © Adou, 2006

Two People, Two Trees © Adou, 2006
"Adou’s photographs of the Yi ethnic minority go beyond documenting the realities of life on Sichuan’s Da Liang Mountain. The landscapes and portraits in the series “Samalada” are more like self-portraits, reflections of the self and meditations on life and death, past and present. Adou’s use of expired rolls of film creates mottled textures and anomalies, which evoke a melancholic nostalgia for the past. These works do not speak for, or explain the situation of the people depicted, but rather become part of the artist’s visual language for self-expression.

Adou was born in Mianyang, Sichuan Province and graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Sichuan Aba Normal College. He has worked as a Design and Creative Director in advertising, and currently lives and works in Chengdu, Sichuan Province." (Three Shadows Centre)

Boys and Billiards © Adou, 2006

Family Holding Goose © Adou, 2006
Invited by Fredrik Skott