HE CHENGYAO, TESTIMONY, 2001–2002

Chromogenic photographs, 46 13/16 × 29 5/16 in.

(Translated from Polish)

“The photograph presented in the exhibition is one of three works from the series "Testimony", presenting portraits of the artist, her mother and son. Large-format photographs, maintained in a similar style, bring to mind classical Baroque painting: brightly lit figures shown against a uniformly dark background.

The boy sits frontally on a chest or chair, his hands are placed on his knees, his torso is naked. His face, turned towards the lens, is serious, focused, it is difficult to read any specific emotions from it. His silhouette seems to disappear in the darkness of the unlit background.

He Chengyao's work was greatly influenced by her biography, and in particular by her dramatic family history. Her mother suffered from a mental illness, as a result of which they both struggled with social exclusion. In China, the artist's home country, people suffering from mental illnesses do not receive adequate support from the state and most often live in difficult financial conditions. They function mainly in a limited circle - among their closest family. Marginalization and rejection from a larger community can simultaneously strengthen family ties and relationships between its members. People who are misunderstood because of their differences are left to their own devices. 

The artist shows her closest relatives, mother and son, with awareness of the burden they bear, but at the same time with care, tenderness and hope. The remaining representations in the series are double portraits: in one He Chengyao is photographed with his mother, in the second he is with his son. In the last one the boy is alone. Will there be someone in the future who will give him the support he needs?

Chengyao's work is about her personal experiences and is an attempt to work through family trauma. However, this is not an individual situation, it is a testimony of the Chinese system, which is not economically and socially adapted to the needs of people affected by intellectual disabilities and mental illnesses.” - Galeria Labirynt

[text: Emilia Lipa]