Gu Zheng is one of the most influential photography theorists, critics and curators in China today. A member of the North River League (Beihemeng), Gu Zheng started his artistic career in photography in the 1980s. After completing his doctorate degree in Japan in the 1990s, he went on to translate and write numerous essays on international photography, and also embarked on the research into contemporary Chinese photography.
Gu now lives and works in Shanghai, China.
Gu Zheng’s early works feature the city as a key subject, which offers infinite possibilities with its constant changes. The cityscape is revealed in absurd, sometimes surreal glimpses. The human bodies are often only partially displayed, as the subjects are unaware of the photographs being shot from a distance. The partial glimpses point to the unidentifiable nature of both urban and human subjects.
