Photographer Abandoned Award and Destruction Certificate: Not worthy of co winning with "The Phantom of the Canal" by Zhang Bingzheng | Works | Destruction
On July 9th, the official account of the Huaibei Photographers Association in Anhui Province announced that its consultant Zhang Bingzheng's six photography works "The Phantom of the Canal" were exhibited at the "Canal China" exhibition of the China Grand Canal Photography Alliance in Hangzhou in June 2023. The seemingly "dynamic and blurred" style of these photos has attracted public attention.
The author of another award-winning work has forfeited the award.
On July 11th, Mr. Wang, the author of another award-winning photography work in the competition, announced on his social media personal page that he had applied to waive his eligibility for the award. He said in an interview with Upstream News reporters, "The organizing committee has accepted the application." Subsequently, Upstream News reporters called one of the organizers of the competition, the China Photographers Association, but as of the press call, no one answered.
▲ Related chat records.
Mr. Wang posted a "statement" on his social media personal page, stating: "Faced with the highly skilled photography work" The Phantom of the Canal ", I am aware that my artistic achievements are insufficient and I am not worthy of winning the award together. Therefore, I announce the cancellation of my award qualification, refund of the prize money, and destruction of the certificate to show my understanding of photography art and aesthetics over the years!" He also displayed screenshots of his communication with the organizers' staff and photos of the destroyed award certificate on his personal page. On July 11th, an upstream news reporter contacted Mr. Wang through the private message function on his personal homepage, and he told
"The Phantom of the Canal".
Upstream news reporters noticed that Mr. Wang's objection to the award of "The Phantom of the Canal" is not an isolated case. On July 11th, a reporter from Upstream News searched on a third-party social media platform and found that "The Phantom of the Canal" has become a hot topic. "When taking a photo, I touched a tripod and the photo became like this. I wonder if this can win an award?" Some people were calm and said, "It seems that" The Phantom of the Canal "is not as good as the group I shot" The Phantom of the Road "." Some even questioned, "What kind of advanced art form is this? I can't understand it."
Regarding these voices on social media platforms, Mr. Wang told Upstream News that the China Photographers Association responded:
Take your time to understand, this is creative freedom
On the morning of July 11th, a staff member of the China Photographers Association, one of the organizers of the "Canal China" Image Exhibition, responded to Upstream News reporters, saying, "This was selected by the judges through voting. Artistic things are something that individuals have their own understanding. It's normal not to understand works." The staff emphasized, "Take your time to understand, this is the freedom of personal creation."
Related photography works. Image source: "Huaibei Photographers Association" official account
Previously, Zhang Bingzheng responded to the media stating that this set of photos was taken by himself and he wanted to use this method to depict the beauty of the flowing, hazy, and blurry canal. He will humbly accept the questions raised by netizens. He believes that it is also a good way to spread canal culture, as it can generate heated discussions. His works are a small part of the exhibition, and he mainly wants to spread the canal culture.
Related photography works. Image source: "Huaibei Photographers Association" official account
On January 31st of this year, the official website of the China Photographers Association released a notice for the "Canal China" imaging exhibition and literature collection. On May 4th, the official account of China Photography Publishing House released a tweet titled "Publicity | Selected Works for the 'Canal China' Image Exhibition and Literature Collection", among which the six works of Zhang Bingzheng's "The Phantom of the Canal" were listed. At that time, the public announcement stated, "As of March 31, 2023, a total of 11896 valid submissions were received for the 'Canal China' imaging exhibition and literature collection, including 11955 static images and 51 dynamic videos."
Related photography works. Image source: "Huaibei Photographers Association" official account
According to public information, Zhang Bingzheng, male, from Suzhou, Anhui Province, has served as the former editor in chief of the Journal of Huaibei Normal University and the director and professor of the Institute of Journalism and Communication. He is a member of the China Higher Education Photography Professional Committee, the China Photographers Association, and an advisor to the Huaibei Photographers Association. He has long been interested in the history and culture of the Grand Canal during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and has published academic works such as "Canal China". The "Canal China" Image Exhibition that Zhang Bingzheng participated in this time was held from June 15th to July 31st, bringing together more than 300 photographic works of photographers from all over the country about the Grand Canal. The exhibition is divided into two themes.
Yu Lun | "Photos of Mushroom Poisoning" nominated for the photography exhibition, who is playing "Hunyuan Tai Chi"
On July 10, an article on the WeChat official account "Zhunbei Photographers Association" titled "Zhang Bingzheng's Photographic Works" Phantom of the Canal "Selected in the" Canal China "Image Exhibition" attracted wide attention on the social platform. According to a report by The Paper, "it can be seen that these six photos are out of focus, shaking, and overexposed as a whole. Among them, the scene by the canal is faintly visible, but apart from elements such as flowers, bridges, and people, the details are almost indistinguishable.". The organizer of this film festival, the China Photographers Association, responded to reporters that the group's works were selected by judges through voting, and it is normal for them to not understand them. "Artistic things, individuals have their own understanding.".
▲ Six shortlisted works for "The Phantom of the Canal"
For art, everyone does have their own understanding, but problems that can be seen by discerning people cannot be solved with such a simple scene. Some netizens believe that the photos in this group have no aesthetic appeal, and the blurred visual effect of their shaking makes people feel "poisoned by bacteria". Yu Minzi, Vice Chairman of the Hubei Photographers Association, also stated that although the artistic attempt is understandable, this group of works lacks beauty and clear expression concepts. It is difficult for anyone to see at first glance that all six of its photos are of the Grand Canal: "It is possible to try it, but you need to wait until it is mature before taking it out for a walk."
Whether it is amateur netizens or experts in the industry, they have clearly stated that this controversial set of photos is "not good-looking". However, why can such a set of photos proudly appear at a film exhibition with considerable influence in the industry? According to an article on the "Image China" website under the China Photographers Association, the first "Canal China" Image Art Week and Image Exhibition delve into the customs and stories of the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal and its surrounding areas in the form of image art, showcasing the rich historical and cultural heritage, beautiful natural and cultural landscapes, and people's happy and beautiful lives of the Grand Canal. The other works exhibited at this film festival all have a relatively high artistic level, even ordinary viewers who are not familiar with the industry can feel the beauty and the long history and cultural atmosphere of the Grand Canal from them.
Other works at this film festival
▲ Previous works at this film festival
According to public information, Zhang Bingzheng is the former editor in chief of Huaibei Normal University and the director, professor, master's supervisor, and cultural scholar of the School of Journalism and Communication. He also serves as a member of the China Higher Education Photography Professional Committee, the China Photographers Association, and the Huaibei Photographers Association. He has won various photography awards multiple times.
The controversy sparked by a set of photos is not just limited to the artistic level. What the public is more concerned about is the formal exhibition organized by industry associations. What selection criteria should be met? Is such selection criteria consistent with the general public's aesthetics, and can the reasons given withstand scrutiny? Online public opinion is not a flood of beasts. The best solution to quell public opinion is to face public questioning and provide reasonable explanations, and to make improvements if necessary. As the organizer of this event, we must not be ambiguous, and we must also play "mixed yuan Tai Chi", causing undue loss of credibility.
