Bamboo 10 by Zhang Dali

Facts

Material

Cyanotype on rice paper and ink

Size

140 x 74.6 cm

Description

In Zhang Dali’s works, ghostly impressions of bamboo suggest memories of nature and histories of representation. Bamboo has been cultivated and used in China for thousands of years, and is closely entwined with Chinese culture and history. In Bamboo 8 and Bamboo 10, bamboo appears as silhouette, a reminder of the persistence of nature, even in the most urbanised of cities. These works are cyanotypes, a traditional photographic process that captures the impression of an object directly, without the use of a camera. Although the images are white and dark blue, not the true colours of bamboo and its natural environment, the outline of bamboo is instantly recognizable. We see at once the iconic form of the plant itself, and the histories of its representation throughout the history of Chinese art.

Location

Beijing