Within a Sky Full of Earth

Since 1994, Chinese artist Liu Zheng has been working on his ambitious photographic project The Chinese. Inspired by the examples of August Sander and Diane Arbus, he has captured a people and country in a unique time of great flux. Liu seeks out moments in which archetypal Chinese characters are encountered in extreme and unexpected situations. His photographs are divided among a number of topics which betray a dark vision, albeit one that is laced with mordant humor. His main subjects to date have included street eccentrics, homeless children, transvestite performers, provincial drug traffickers, coal miners, Buddhist monks, prison inmates, Taoist priests, waxwork figures in historical museums, and the dead and dying. This is the first monograph of his work to appear outside China.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
One of China's most widely exhibited contemporary artists, Liu Zheng was born in 1969 in Wuqiang Hsien in Hebei province and grew up in Datong, a mining town in Shanxi province. After studying optical engineering at Beijing Technology Institute, he served as a professional photojournalist for Workers’ Daily from 1991 to 1997. Liu Zheng’s work has been included in such major presentations as the Venice Biennial, the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival, and Strangers: The First ICP Triennial of Photography and Video.


The Chinese, by Liu Zheng
With an introduction by Christopher Phillips, an essay by Gu Zheng and an interview with the artist.
• STEIDL • 120 TRITONE PLATES • HARDCOVER WITH DUST JACKET • 176 PAGES • PUBLICATION DATE: APRIL 2004