他者的东方 The Oriental Others

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《他者的东方》由一系列明信片上的蛋白印相作品组成。19世纪，英国摄影师约翰·汤姆逊（John Thomson）、威廉·桑德斯（William Saunders）来到中国后，用他们拍摄的蛋白影像不断构建出西方人对东方的刻板印象，大量中国园林、中国妇女、甚至砍头处决等景象重复出现，充分反应出西方人对中国的感知是建立在自己的想像与需要上，而非眼前所见的事实。这种对东方的刻板印象也逐渐被国人自己及别国接受，甚至延续至今日。

 

我回溯近代摄影史，将这一时期西方摄影师拍摄的大量照片分类后叠加在一张照片上，数百张档案照片叠加后仍可辨认出原图的轮廓，反应出西人对东方刻板印象的固化。我利用19世纪末流行的蛋白印相工艺重新制造照片，以重现被摄影所构建的这段殖民历史。作品均印制在明信片上，以回应近代西方殖民者将在中国拍摄的影像做成明信片并寄回西方的行为，同时象征了明信片在旅游文化中对一个地域刻板印象的建构。

 

诚如萨义德在《东方学》卷首所引用的那句马克思的名言：“他们无法表述自己，他们必须被表述。”我希望借由这个作品让观众思考：我们的身份在多大程度上是被他者构建甚至“发明”的？今日，我们是否能真的看到周围正在发生的事实？还是只能看到我们想看到的景象？

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The Oriental Others is a series of albumen prints created on postcards that reflect the visual stereotypes of the East perpetuated by Western photographers like John Thomson and William Saunders in the 19th century. Through repeated motifs such as pagodas, women, river ports, and scenes of violence, these images reveal how Western perceptions of China were shaped by imagination rather than reality. Intriguingly, these representations influenced the way Chinese people themselves began to view the world.

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In my work, I delve into photographic history by overlaying images from that era, creating a composite that still allows viewers to discern the original subjects. This process responds to the solidification of Western stereotypes and critiques the colonial legacy embedded in photography. Using the albumen technique popularized in the late 19th century, I recreate this complex narrative, while the postcard medium echoes the practice of Western colonizers sending images of China back home—further entrenching stereotypes in tourist culture.

 

As Edward Said famously quoted Marx at the beginning of his book Orientalism, “They cannot represent themselves; they must be represented.” By reframing colonial history, I want to question the nature of perspective: To what extent are our identities constructed or even “invented” by the Other? Do we truly see what’s happening around us, or do we only see what we want to see?

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