Venice walls inspire photographer

2013-05-02 17:45

By (chinadaily.com.cn)

The Bulgarian photographer Viktor Popov is displaying his latest work on xuanzhi (traditional rice paper used for Chinese painting and calligraphy) at Beijing's Yishu 8 gallery from April 27 to June 2. The exhibition showcases the city of Venice from his unique perspective.

What makes Viktor Popov's pictures different is that he used a special printer to make his photographs appear on xuanzhi. It should also be noted that it was in China where he discovered the traditional Chinese paper used for his photographs at the exhibit.

Viktor Popov's photographs are focused on old walls, which he believes the landscapes found on walls have a connection with the old history of Venice. However, Popov is not the first artist to see the historical beauty of a wall, as there was once a Chinese painter who recognized the same kind of beauty.

Song Di, a famous Chinese painter active during the Song Dynasty once told another artist that he should first look for a ruined wall, stretch a piece of raw silk across it and press down upon it. The painter said, "Study it from morning till night, until you are able to observe on the surface of that silk, right there on the ruined wall, mountains, valleys, and contours that become landscapes."

"If we discover a different Venice through the photographer's eye, it is through these walls, these shapes and these secrets that we can also penetrate into the artist's inner world - a sensitive and poetic world ready to be ours for the taking." Christine Cayol, founder of Yishu 8 said.