Poster of the exhibition Chongqing Trilogy Zhang Yibai

By Keqiao Cheng, EDITOR

Chongqing - For a long time, Chongqing, was like a huge photo studio, never ceasing to attract film directors. Among them, Zhang Yibai, born and raised in Chongqing, should be the most familiar one. Additionally, his “Chongqing Trilogy”—Lost Indulgence, Curiosity Kills the Cat, and I Belonged to You made people understand and love this city.

The photography exhibition named Chongqing Trilogy Zhang Yibai opened this Friday, January 18 at TESTBED 2. It would represent the ten-year changes of Chongqing and the director’s homesickness through 400 photos which are related to Zhang's movies.

A selection of 400 photos

A film poster of I Belonged to You, which caused a sensation when debuted 2016.

For Zhang Yibai, Chongqing is a place born for film shooting. In his impression, “All the addresses will be pictures arising in mind. A group of young people were in the shadow of the Chongqing People’s Liberation Monument. Chongqing usually witnesses different weather, sometimes sunny, sometimes raining, and the memory is always fragmented.”

Aiming to fully present Chongqing in his heart, Zhang provided tens of thousands of photos to the curatorial team. Meanwhile, to sort the photos for the first round, the team has spent over two months.

An archive photo of Lost Indulgence

The exhibition has set seven halls to present the photos. Also, the exhibits include film photos, scene-selecting photos, aerial shots, dialogues in the film, work photos, and behind-the-scenes. Furthermore, the sponsor has also set a film hall on the site, showing visitors the three films in fixed times.

Yan Jiaxu, Executive Curator of the Exhibition, introduced, “During film shooting, Zhang had to handle his dual identities, i.e. a native from Chongqing and also a director. Thus the exhibition reveals the balance and integration of his dual identities.” The exhibition aims to help visitors know more about Chongqing and arouse their hidden feelings in the familiar scenes.

Changes of Chongqing

“Changes” may be the most significant theme of this exhibition.

The Curiosity Kills the Cat reveals the interweaving desires under the fast-growing urban development. However, the Lost Indulgence indicates the gloomy moods and dysphoria under the industrial reform. Then, the I Belonged to You shows the mutual concerns of people living and striving in the city.

Zhang has shot every transition phase of Chongqing during the bygone days. He also covered the changes of people, city, and the relation between people and the era.

Zhang said, while shooting Curiosity Kills the Cat, the sharp contrast of the new and old buildings in Chongqing impressed him, “After those ten years, Chongqing carries a strong feeling of being a huge metropolis. It also integrates modern sense and civil life atmosphere, where the two elements also identify each other.”

The photography exhibition Chongqing Trilogy Zhang Yibai will last until February 24 and open to the public for free.

Source: CQNEWS