The exciting aspect about photography awards is the entries they attract from all over the world. Several are very close to classic commissioned photography, others play around with reality or apply a playful experimental approach. Some work is so developed that it has already been exhibited as a project or published as a book. New York based fashion photographer Jingna Zhang responded to our GoSee AWARDS call for entries last year and entered her project ‘Motherland Chronicles'. GoSee weren’t the only ones she managed to impress, the jury was equally as taken by the young photographer’s staged visual language. In autumn she published the final images in the cycle. What better excuse to present the whole project here on GoSee.
Parts of the chronicles were already displayed in group exhbvitiuons, including “A Glimpse at Photo Vogue” at Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan, 2013 or Marc by Marc Jacobs with Vulture Magazine: “Obsessions: New Generation”, TheatreWorks, Singapore, 2013. At UPdate 14 in Berlin they were part of the GoSee Awards exhibition at Kaufhaus Jandorf. Her work will tour in spring to Leica Camera Gallery and to Milan in cooperation with Vogue Italia. And in summer 'Motherland Chronicles' will be published as a book.
Jingna tells GoSee, "As for Motherland Chronicles, it began with my desire to re-explore the things I loved as a child, such as classical and fantasy art, and Japanese anime and manga. It is a tribute to what inspired my art and imagination when I was growing up, and a reminder to others to not forget our beginnings, and the things that inspired us to become who we are."
'Never be Satisfied' may as well be Jingna’s motto. The New York based photographer was born in Peking in 1988. Aged 8 she moved to Singapore with her sports enthusiast family, where she learnt air rifle shooting and broke the national record for women. Five years later she represented Singapore in the international shooting competition. At 16 she studied at Lasalle College of the Arts, at 18 she bought her first camera and discovered her love of photography.
Similar to her sports career, she quickly climbed the photography career ladder. At the age of 20 she received her first Ogilvy & Mather commission for a Mercedes Benz Taiwan shoot, coinciding with her first publication in HARPER'S BAZAAR Singapore. In 2009 her 'Fellowship in the Master Photographers Association' (UK) followed and she came third in the International Photography Awards. Jingna starred in 'Asia’s Next Top Model Cycle 1' as a photographer and was crowned 2011 'Photographer of the Year' at ELLE Singapore Awards 2011. Jingna has over 170,000 Facebook fans and is one of the most successful female artist on the deviantART community – with 100,000 followers and 33 million views of her work…
Visit the 'Motherland Chronicles' online, and view more of Jingna’s work in her GoSee PORTFOLIOS as well as on zhangjingna.com.