This catalogue is published on the occasion of the Pingyao International Photography Festival in September 2003. For the festival, curator Monica Dematte invited 21 Chinese artists to produce one to ten photographic self-portraits, in hope to find out whether these artists would choose to escape from their fixed roles and from their usual expressive means. Some of the chosen artists are professional photographers; others are devoted to different media, such as painting. In Dematte's words, 'In my view, this event does not have to be considered an art exhibiition, as its purpose is not to achieve visually attractive, meaningful or strong images; rather it should come as close as possible to being a mirror in which every artist can recognise her/himself beyond any formal worry.'