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+ Photography Series

1st Place Winner in People Photography

(2020 Budapest International

FotoAwards)
Neocha (Feature Story on “7”)

i-D China (Weibo Feature on “7”)

Seven



“7” is a self-portrait photography series by Chinese Ameri-can photographer Wei Ding. The series speaks about the inner chaos and the loss of identity from his life-long experience of displacement as an immigrant.
According to the classic scripts of Chinese medicine, the 7 emotions — ecstasy, fury, worry, reverie, grief, terror, and shock — are causes of chaos. If left untamed, they can disrupt the heart, intestines, and the Qi of a balanced body.

How does it FEEL to blend in everywhere but not belong anywhere? The series unpacks the complexity of answering this core question. Here, the actual face of the artist disappears and merges with the background, while the Chinese characters of the seven emotions occupy his face and form seven Peking-opera-ish masks. The calligraphic strokes painted on his face strengthens his state of being captured in some photo, while in others contradicting it with a sense of irony. In this series, there is no illustration or conclusion. Using the technique of body paint as a metaphor, Wei Ding creates a space for his emotional dilemmaf being forever un-belonged.





Ecstacy Fury Worry Reverie Grief Terror Shock








The project took place in Wei Ding’s living room and spanned 6 months. Besides the official images, Wei also documented the process with medium-size films and fuji Instax films, completing the total project with a range of textures.
 
Wei Ding is a Chinese-American photographer and 3D artist from Queens, New York City, currently based in Los Angeles and Shanghai. He creates surreal visual works that twist the perceptions of reality.