Some Days No. 30, 2005 - Wang Ningde

The series Some Days is an ongoing body of work that has brought international attention and acclaim to the artist Wang Ningde. The core of this series is based on the artist's memories of childhood and family, Chinese culture, and the Cultural Revolution, which have been interpreted and abstracted to read at a level of collective consciousness. Through these photographs, Wang Ningde has reordered his experiences and given them a new form, creating a surreal world that lies somewhere between reality and memory. This dream-like imagery is only heightened by the fact that all of Wang Ningde's subjects have their eyes shut, as if they are meditating or reminiscing. The mood throughout Some Days is melancholic and introspective, and while the photos may feel like scenes from a silent movie, the personalities of the subjects themselves are impossible to read. In Wang Ningde's world, individuality is stripped away, as is the real moment in time when the photograph was made. With an acute sensitivity, the artist is able to recreate and distill his past from the inside out.