The Dust of Homeland

Bai Dongquan was born and lives in the loess plateau of Yan‘an. Perhaps, it is the great inner power developing from the maternal culture that makes him devote himself to photography for 35 years. He’s a photographer with compassion and idealization at the same time. He uses the empathy in his mind to unveil the semblance of mediocrity in daily life and let those inner emotions which are trapped deep inside the heart release, in order to complete the spiritual remolding of self. 

“Homeland” is a spiritual lookout and reverse feeding, using images to shuttle between reality and unreality: dreamlike meditation, poetic gaze and questioning and exploring from various angles. The relationship between the existence of individuals and homeland, then has a deeper meaning. The inner world of Bai Dongquan in “Homeland” transcends real world,. He tries to “ resist loneliness with the sound of shutter, fix memories with images, and explore meanings with the fragments of time.“ All the elements in the photos come from his obsession and nostalgia for this land. Ingenious recording and casual interception make the seemingly ordinary scenes establish a new context. In the world of photography，he is free, and also affectionate. Just as he said “ I bid farewell for the world with photography, but I’m also reluctant to part with my homeland ! ”

“Under the Pagoda Mountain ” is a series of earlier works. It’s a collision of personal experience and public vision, or it’s a re-questioning. It captures the social and humanistic scenes under various beliefs of the Times, and also completes the emotional expressions of self life through the humble people and objects. This sincere shooting method of daily life that uses low angles and new dimensions, will surely become a part of the historical photo pedigree and reveal its own unique value .