Art Articles

Remembering Photographer and Friend, Ren Hang

Art

Feb 24, 2017

This morning, I woke to the tragic news of artist Ren Hang’s passing. Today, I think of those closest to him and of the remarkable body of work that he produced in his brief 29 years.

I encountered Hang on his first trip to Los Angeles at MAMA Gallery this past summer. I revered Hang for his bravery in the face of censorship, his visionary queer perspective, and the provocative portraits that he staged. The unassuming and modest man that I met, however, insisted over and over again that he was simply interested in taking pictures of his friends.

The unassuming and modest man that I met, however, insisted over and over again that he was simply interested in taking pictures of his friends.

Hang never set out to shock and never set out to be the countercultural figure that he quickly became. He stumped the press with his one word answers and the political significance of his photographs came inadvertently. His images are evidence that he saw the world differently from the rest of us. A natural talent and a unique understanding of the human form allowed his photographs to transcend the realm of aesthetics. While Hang wasn’t forthcoming about any sort of analysis of the work, it undoubtedly explored queer sexuality and featured underrepresented Asian models in the contexts of fashion and fine art.

His images are evidence that he saw the world differently from the rest of us.

The controversy that surrounded Hang and his work in the context of China represents an important step in the global fight for freedom of expression. The first international collection of Hang’s work was published only recently by Taschen and is certainly destined for a much wider audience; his spirit of rebellion will live on. Hang’s untimely passing not only marks a loss for the art world, but also a blow to those of us who believe in the impact of one gifted creative with a point-and-shoot camera hanging around his neck.