Through the lense comes hope - Dong Ruqiang's Art Complex, Tianjin

Stepping into the Camera exhibition in Dong Ruqiang's Art complex immediately takes me back to an exciting time in my life. I remember my first camera. It was a Vivitar 35mm. It gave me the option, depending on the film, of talking 24 or 36 pictures. It was a different time then. I recall excitedly taking a roll of film to be developed only to be disappointed when more than half of them were ruined because they either came out too light or dark. Now, digital cameras allow us to take hundreds of pictures until we get that perfect picture. Convenient right? But we have lost something in the process, haven't we?

Why do I describe the venue as exciting? You will need several visits to get the most out of your experience. There is the photographic exhibition,  a Picasso room and beautiful calligraphy space which is very hands on. But that is not all. Mr Dong has a 600-camera collection nicely installed in a mini camera museum - something that will get all camera lovers salivating. By the way, all 600 cameras are in working order. There is also a room of some classic impressionist and post-modern prints. This multipurpose art venue has several other rooms, leaving one with a feeling of the uniqueness of this vast complex. However, I must mention DIN 21, the face of the art complex, a casual coffee shop and dining space that is just perfect to get away from the commercialised coffee shops in the heart of the city. 

As I explore what I can only describe as a haven of art and culture, I make my way to the main attraction, an exhibition of some of Mr Dong's latest monochrome photographs - you will understand this term of respect when you meet him. While looking at the photographs is quite an experience in its own right, there are often questions and Mr Dong's accessible and easy going nature makes walking through the exhibition with him at your side a must do. 

As I walk through the room showcasing Mr Dong's photographs, something he says makes a marked impression on me. He says that photography is sometimes about taking the simple, every day scenes and elevating it to art - that is one of the elements that make a great photo. " With this in mind, I look around with new eyes and I see what he means. I see a photograph of a lake just 30 minutes away from his studio, exquisitely captured. Then there is my favourite photo which has a man and woman out on Taiping Lake in Anhui Province, fishing.

There are several landscape photos that illustrate the view that great pictures are not always about the spectacular. In his collection, in fact, there are maybe 3-4 pictures where the subject dwarfs the photo - the Great Wall, Mt Fuji, the Eiffel Tower and Hong Kong Harbour. However, this exhibition is about  everyday subjects. 

We continue our walk through and I ask Mr Dong a question about a photo taken late night in Tianjin. in address this, he tells me how luck is sometimes so important in capturing the perfect moment and immortalising it in a photo. He says how on that night while out and about in Tianjin, the lights in a near by bank building, the China Construction Bank,  were uncharacteristically all switched off - look carefully between the two lamp posts and you will see it. The same applied to many buildings in the immediate vicinity.  It allowed him to photograph the street with mainly street lights burning, to create a stunning result with the clock tower clearly highlighted as the main subject in the image. 

I am no photographer with my simple iPhone SE, but his words are so relatable to anyone who has tried to get that perfect picture with his/her mobile - missing the sunrise by a minute, or the cork as it leaves the champagne bottle a couple seconds too early...it was so good to hear him articulate this so honestly. He gives hope to any would-be photographer who thinks that skill is the only factor in taking  a picture that moves or mesmerises. 

As we move to Mr Dong's Camera Room, our conversation changes, understandably, to his interest in cameras. The room itself is nicely laid out, with the walls adorned with classic camera and film roll  advertisements. What strikes me too is that sofas make this area so relaxing, inviting visitors to engage with one another. In a time when people have no time to just sit and enjoy without mobile phones intruding, this is unwittingly a master stroke. I interrupt my musings by asking Mr Dong about his first camera. He tells me that he got it when he was already with family. On a salary of 58 yuan per month, he saved, took care of his family and eventually bought his first camera for 850 yuan. He mentions that he looked though the brochure included with the camera and wondered if he would ever own all the accessories one day. Well, as I look around the room, I see it as a testament to Walt Disney's dictum that "If you can dream it, you can do it." If you doubt that, visit Mr Dong's camera room

As I sit down to a light meal after the photographic and camera exhibition, I have a tremendous feeling of satisfaction. This has been such a difficult time for everyone induced by Covid-19 where 'normal' has been redefined and life has forever changed. But sitting in Mr Dong's coffee shop with a friend, discussing his photographs, I feel that some things have not changed. Beauty that is available to everyone remains. The soul that appreciates it, remains. Sitting next to Mr Dong as he talks about his passion, makes me feel that he has created a space which for a few hours, has the power to heal and like people drinking from the River Lethe, we can forget all the stresses of the world right now, and just be in the moment, as we all look through the lense of life and see a different image. In a digital world where we can delete a memory at the click of a button, it is good to know that the 'old school' concept still exists; that authentic black and white images can still be created without a filter in a place where digital and classic film cameras co-exist. Thank you Mr Dong for creating this journey.

DIN21

Mobile: +86 131 0219 6887, Rm. 101, Gate 4, Building No. 5, Fubao Industry Park，Zhangjiawo, Xiqing District, Tianjin. 

Brandon Stoltenkamp