Chen Nong (China, b. 1966). Silk Road #1, 2016/2017
Hand-painted gelatin silver print on fibre paper. No. 1 of 10 unique pieces. 54 x 62 cm. In frame under glass.
Chen Nong's images are distinguished by their rich historical context, honouring events from Chinese history. Initially, he photographs in black and white using a 110-year-old antique camera and silver gelatin paper for printing. During post-production, he meticulously hand-paints the images with a dense array of colours to achieve a vintage, refined effect. This process takes nearly a year to complete for each photograph. Chen Nong's works are featured in the collections of the San Francisco MoMA, the International Center of Photography in New York, the National Museum of Art in Australia, the Museum of Cultures in Basel, and the Harvard University Museum of Art.