Yin Hang

In the exhibition The Unfolding Flame, Yin Hang constructs a narrative space that oscillates between reality and illusion, exploring the themes of moral ambiguity and emotional alienation, through a distinctive visual language, . 

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

As part of Fotografiska’s ongoing commitment to supporting emerging Chinese artists, The Unfolding Flame not only highlights Hang’s significant works from recent years but also pushes the boundaries of photographic art through experimental approaches. This exhibition represents a key initiative in Fotografiska’s efforts to amplify local voices on the global stage, fostering new dialogues within the contemporary art landscape.

An rising figure in contemporary Chinese photography and visual art, Yin Hang navigates between photography and installation, constructing highly theatrical scenes that interrogate social order, power structures, and the underlying tensions of human emotion. Deeply influenced by cinematic language, theatrical staging, and philosophical inquiry, Hang’s works are imbued with symbolic props and an ambiguous visual atmosphere, challenging conventional social norms and traditional modes of perception.

The Unfolding Flame presents Yin Hang’s latest explorations in visual storytelling. His works establish a subtle tension between everyday life and theatricality, between societal discipline and individual agency, revealing the intersection of moral ambiguity and emotional estrangement. In this exhibition, Hang focuses on the symbolic interplay between discipline and complicity, weaving together seemingly opposing forces into a complex visual dialogue. Photography, in his practice, serves as both a medium for constructing conflict and a means of layering sculptural and photographic elements, prompting viewers to question their own perceptions while uncovering the deeper implications of power, control, and emotional entanglement.

By pushing the boundaries of photographic art, Yin Hang’s work offers a compelling lens on contemporary social realities. The Unfolding Flame at Fotografiska Shanghai invites audiences to step into the artist’s meticulously crafted visual narratives, reconsider the act of seeing, and explore the shifting boundaries of emotion in today’s world.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Yin Hang (born in 1988 in Beijing) currently lives in Beijing. Yin Hang’s practice revolves around the forms and effects of punishment. He uses media intended for perception and representation as quasi-photographic tools, exploring images at the intersection of moral ambiguity and the potential alienation of power through scene construction and exposure techniques. In Yin Hang’s works, the operations of labor, material, and emotion are transformed into expressions of collusion realized in dramatic everyday scenes. On one hand, it reveals the universality of punishment as a social behavior and psychological state, while on the other, it creates a specific mechanism that romanticizes punishment, referencing the complex relationships between the individual and humiliation, obedience, and provocation.