A significant figure in contemporary Chinese photography, Jiang Pengyi has consistently challenged the essence and pushed the boundaries of the medium, gaining recognition for his conceptual approaches and relentless experimentation based on the photographic material itself. His two-decade journey, marked by parallel developments in conceptual and documentary practices, has been driven by an acute sensitivity to individual lived experience and a profound reflection on the invisible in reality. These themes reach their zenith in the two new photographic series featured in this exhibition.

The exhibition title is derived from the eponymous new work, "The Monument Bestowed by Desolation to Solitude". Through an ingenious chemical process, Jiang has created a series of bizarre images: humanoid sculptures are placed on vast and boundless wastelands, like monuments standing in the river of time, simultaneously majestic and yet ineffably fragile, articulating the inexpressible solitude and resilience that reside in the depths of the human psyche.

These objects, seemingly transmuted through an alchemical process, are the result of Jiang submerging ready-made or self-crafted copper statues in silver nitrate solution, while subjecting them to prolonged periods of dissolution, exfoliation, precipitation, crystallisation, and regrowth. The separation and recombination of chemical elements, along with the invisible processes of plunder and occupation, serve as a metaphor for the inexorable influence of broader societal forces on the individual. Moreover, they symbolise a re-examination of traditional cultural symbols in a contemporary context. The boundless wilderness forming the backdrop was photographed in the uninhabited Black Gobi near Dunhuang. This ancient seabed, with its weathered and mysterious topography, first appeared in "Gravel Fathoms the Sea" (2020), and has been distilled into a more abstract natural landscape in this new work, suggesting the solitude and insignificance of the individual in the face of historical change.

Notably, Jiang's later works in this series reveal a more emotive expression. He shifts the focus to human-like copper wire skeletons of his own making. Unlike the cast figures that continue to expand outward in the chemical solution, these meticulously crafted humanoid sculptures are dehydrated, their silver crystalline surfaces forming a "skin" that clings tightly to the underlying structure. The result is a tangible representation of the rings of life, which evokes forms rich with age and experience. Simultaneously, the artist's use of low-angle shots imbues the works with an upward, aspirational posture: "Each individual is a desolate island, each person their own monument."

In dialogue with the eponymous series is another new body of work, "Consumption & Renewal". This series can be viewed as a prequel to "The Monument Bestowed by Desolation to Solitude": it continues the organic corrosion and fermentation process directly on light-sensitive materials first explored in "Foresight" (2017-2018). Black and white films keep on serving as Jiang's "experimental field", with various chemical reactions initiated from 2022 onwards. The serendipitous introduction of copper in these experiments sparked the creation of the exhibition's core series. Nevertheless, the residual effects of these inorganic processes have persisted at a gradual pace over the past two years, ultimately revealing a spectacle of near-cosmic grandeur.

As Jiang Pengyi states, "Presenting the minutest thing, to me, symbolises the complex, delicate, and vast inner world of human individuals." Through masterful macro photography, he magnifies these micro-reactions into a breathtaking visual feast. The resulting images present a dimension that transcends reality, as if meditating on existence itself, further exploring the relationship between civilisational change and natural forces, and reflecting on the subtle influence of social culture and temporal memory on the essence of "being human".

The two most recent series represent a significant breakthrough in Jiang's sustained artistic exploration. They not only perpetuate the artist's unwavering commitment to experimentation, but also achieve a new level of sophistication in terms of creative concepts and visual presentation. From early works "All Back to Dust" and "Unregistered City" (2008-2010), to "Dark Addiction" and "Intimacy" (2013-2014), as well as the directly related "Foresight" (2017-2018) and "Gravel Fathoms the Sea" (2020), Jiang has consistently explored the interaction between light and matter, as well as the role of time in image formation, in order to create a variety of magnificent, profound and poetic visuals. This approach, which eschews the camera and emphasises direct dialogue between materials, has been developed with greater depth and complexity in the artist's latest works. In "The Monument Bestowed by Desolation to Solitude", he creates highly symbolic sculptures, while presenting dazzling microscopic landscapes in "Consumption & Renewal". These works are both the result of meticulous design and contain numerous unpredictable elements, a tension that imbues them with a unique vitality. These pieces are no longer merely about photography, but visual meditations on existence, time and consciousness itself, allowing each viewer to find their own reflection within.