Zhang Peng’s photographs look like stills from fantasy animation films; they are in fact documents of elaborate sets featuring little girls. Originally trained as a painter, Zhang approaches his compositions with a heightened sense of drama, using intense colors, theatrical props, and obscure angles of perspective to create a sense of artifice and illusion from reality.
Zhang uses the medium of photography to subvert its archetypal associations of perfect representations and sentimental keepsakes. Portraits of children that would normally convey hope and aspiration, through Zhang’s lens, transform to grotesque distortions. In Gui Fei, a child dressed as a traditional bride appears manufactured and doll-like, her identity molded and objectified by parental and social expectation. As in many of Zhang’s photos, her eyes have been manipulated to enhance her ‘flawless’ appearance, referencing the ‘westernized’ feminine ideals disseminated in Asian media, as well as the increasing trend in plastic surgery. [Artists Home Page]
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
The guy is sick, I almost puked. disgusting, a pure divine child is conceptualised in such a horrid postures and horrid colors.
The photographer is insane and mentally sick, requires psychiatric attention
aleem is overreacting.
he is
Are you serious?! Cant you see his talent?! He tries of course to show how awful he thinks it is, especially with girls in china who are stuck with marrying at an early age with an older man and then she will appear as if she e adult and ready to be with a grown man when she may be only around 7 years old. He is fighting for human rights, and believes that this must end.
he’s not he’s putting the child in a real life situations but also in a fantasy way. i personaly think that they are great. they gonna be used for a book cover or something thats my opinion;)
“a pure divine child is conceptualised in such a horrid postures and horrid colors”
That’s exactly the point. These are the depictions we find of [grown] women in visual media every day, and it is only that we are inured to them that we don’t find them disgusting. It takes seeing a child in the same setting to realise the horrific way women are depicted.
I agree with Stacey…I am sure the photographer can call himself successful when he extracts a reaction such as the one Aleem expressed
i love these photos although i do think that the little girl has a rather large head
vile pedo shit. what a waste of talent.
I agree
So the apparent argument here is that anything unsuitable for children is unsuitable for everyone?
Its very…..interesting
It is sick, but it also reminds me an old movie named Child Play. I suppose the photograher did get his message HORROR out in extreme.
you SHOULD use different heads, different characters to make this concept more potent…
now it lacks this important detail…
and sufferings from getting bored too fast…
also the current character, mainly the head, is too freaky and doesn´t really fit…
anyway…
I like the one where the girl sits in the bathtub full of blood…
that is decent, Sir…
The purpose of art is to evoke an emotional response…and Zhang Peng certainly succeeds at this.
Innocuous images that make one think “awwww, how cute” have their place, but shouldn’t an artist at least TRY for a stronger reaction?
A stronger emotional reaction doesn’t allways have to be a more negative reaction. It’s a lot easier to provoke a strong negative reaction (disgust or anger or the much heart “a six year old can do this”) then a possitive strong reaction.
Taking a picture of child sitting in a tub of blood and pinning it on “it’s a social comment” In my opinion is bit of a quick win to getting a strong emotional reaction.
LG, Netherlands.
Isn’t the purpose of art to evoke an emotional response? Innocuous photos than make us say “awwwww, cute” have their place and their merit, but so do the ones that make us take pause.
(Btw, I’d suggest taking a long, hard look at your own psyche if you look at these beautiful images and think “PEDO!”)
I don’t see too many grown woman posing with steak knives and sloppy birthday cakes, or in baths of blood and chunks of ???, or slitting their own throats next to stripper poles. So I don’t get the argument that:
“These are the depictions we find of [grown] women in visual media every day and it is only that we are inured to them that we don’t find them disgusting.”
I think you’re just try to bend this to fit your own political worldview. It doesn’t fit, try again.
here here
Art’s job is to hold a mirror up to life itself.
Some of the reactions above show that this art is doing that rather well…
These are beautiful images, with vivid color and a striking depiction of the attitudes we have about both women and children. Little girls are forced to “grow into” the roles these images depict, and they stay in that role long into adulthood. Women are painted in a grossly sexual manner in the media – that’s what little girls have to be when they grow up.
I agree with LLD. The people crying paedophilia are completely missing the point, and clearly have some issues in that area.
There is no art to paedophilia. Having worked for an internet provider and seen captured images from the mailboxes of convicted paedophiles, I can tell you there is no art whatsoever. It is inhuman, filthy, and I’ll repeat… IS NOT ARTISTIC.
Compared to some stuff with Asian subjects in it, this is fairly tame. I don’t particularly care for most of the pieces myself, but the piece with the girls and the plastic bags is great (a degree of cultural understanding is required to ‘get’ this one, I think), as is the Pocahontas style pic with all the arrows. I give it the thumbs up.
awesome imagery! to those who say it’s “sick”, get your f***king mind out of the gutter, you sicko’s!
They are beautiful, so strong and vibrant. Good job!
Whats sick are the stupid pop up adverts on every photo!
“That’s exactly the point. These are the depictions we find of [grown] women in visual media every day, and it is only that we are inured to them that we don’t find them disgusting. It takes seeing a child in the same setting to realise the horrific way women are depicted.”
What are you implying? It’s “horrific” if women are depicted with sexual connotation? Although I don’t agree with that, but it’s not even a magnitude within the revolt of these pictures…
“Art’s job is to hold a mirror up to life itself.” very well said.
given the surreal atmosphere of the photos, i think the artist meant them to be seen metaphorically. i don’t know about other people’s reactions, i’m immediately trying to relate the image of the girl with china. as a country it’s young, it has a rich history but it choose or was forced to ditch it and basically it’s being reborn from it. it was raped in the war decades ago, it’s eager to develop too fast right now, not sure if it’s ready for it. it has its charming side but also cruel at times. etc.
and pedo. some people have to get over the fact that it exists.
Great idea this, i need some time to think about this. happens all the time
pedophilia if that’s the 1st word on your mind your sick….
I see the images as STRONG provocative reality of humanity…
this is actually quite sickening, goodness i feel errlliii
I wouldn’t call them beautiful, but I definitely respect the concept. I like the nakedness of it. The people declaring pedophilia need to look deeper.
To all the people who think this is sick. It is. This is the point. Has anyone learned about China? The value of girls there or lack there of… The abuse and deformity to their feet, all the unwanted baby girls because a boy is more valuable, the sex slave and child prostitution problems, and the basic devalue of women that is WORLDWIDE over all. These pictures remind me of artists who took photos of children in the past in England and America before child labor laws. These ghost like visions of overworked and aged beyond their years poor children were REAL. Not posed. Without them we would not have child labor laws as we do today. Sometimes it takes images to force brutal realities and points to be realized.
These pictures are more than skin deep, do research on an artist… his background, culture, even country before you judge. Or just purely stop being ignorant with your comments. Yes these images invoke repulsed and shocked responses because he is bringing attention to REAL problems.
The most horrific pictures I have ever seen have been of the Holocaust. I will never get those images out of my mind. But then again I would never want to… I believe the people that were victims of those atrocities should be remembered as well as the crimes so that we stand up against things of such a horrible nature. I am not arguing that the imagery here is not disturbing… for it is. However, we are taught as children to think before we speak so please think before you post.
Obviously a very unhappy child ! I’d question the motives of the photographer !
well im a 16 yeaar old gilr and to me i think he has an obsetion with children i dont kow what it is his graphics and art is veryy good but all he ever seems to do it with is children he could have some sort of attraction but i seem to find it abit weird myself im not saying his art work isnt good because its brilliant but its all children children having babies children in baths of blood chldren wearing low skirts its jus not right and before anyone says its what women see no it isnt im a young lady and iv never seen or hurd of such things woman may see kids with cuts and bruises but nothing to this extent….
so yess i think this man has a slight attraction to childrenn and you no where im going ..
who ever posted this images , fuck off. you are mentally sick bustard.
i an so amazed by this briliant work.its a gods gift.wonderful.jg
I mean really, I’m reading the comments and I have to say many people on here are so shallow. Calling Mr. Zhang a pedophile? No he is a not a pedophile, Jerry Sandusky is a pedophile. He is a photographer. These pictures are full of depth and uses elements of design. I give this series an AP score of 6/6 (exellence) It shows a unifying theme, usues strong concepts and elements of design. We can clearly hear the photogrpaher’s voice, and the theme is clear.
These photos comments on societal issues but mainly issues involving young girls in China.
He is not a Pedo… simply a talented photographer.
As for the blood and gore… well, reality was never pretty.
I get it. As long as it is done in an artistic way then its ok to post pedophilia photos of an innocent child on the net.There is no art to paedophilia. There is no difference between this man and other convicted pedophilia, I can tell you there is no art whatsoever. It is inhuman, filthy, and I’ll repeat… IS NOT ARTISTIC. This man and anyone who post this pics need to be convicted of child porn and as a pedophilia!!!!! I just pray that anyone who is defending this man does not have children or if you do, I pray they are protected from you.
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