Li Tianbing was inspired to become the cameraman of Makeng village, Fujian province, China, when at the age of 12 he acted as an assistant to an English cameraman. This experience inspired in the young Li a lifelong fascination with photography, a calling which has produced a collection of evocative images that forms a unique record of rural Chinese life during the second half of the twentieth century.
Li’s work is a legacy based on simplicity and extraordinary individual effort. Because the region did not have electricity until recently, Li used natural light to develop photographic negatives. By quickly opening and closing his bedroom door, Li manually exposed the film, and he washed the photographs in water from a nearby stream.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966–76), Li was labelled a 'capitalist roader' for using a foreign camera and earning a private income, and his family was forced to disown him for a time. However, his contribution has always been acknowledged by the villagers of the region: they celebrate him in song as ‘Maestro Tianbing’.
Li Tianbing had his first solo exhibition with the Long March Project in 2002. He has since exhibited at the ‘Power of the Public Realm’, 25000 Cultural Transmission Centre, Beijing, in 2003; ‘Beijing International Art Expo’, International Exhibition Centre, Beijing, in 2004; ‘Techniques of the Visible: 2004 Shanghai Biennale', Shanghai Art Museum; and 'A Second Sight: Prague Biennale 2', National Gallery Prague, Czech Republic, in 2005.
Gallery 1.1, GoMA
A full-colour publication is available from the Gallery Store.
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