The Bliss of Conformity (*signed*)

@ Guo, Yingguang

978-295640711-9

New

Presentation by La Maison de Z:

"The boyfriend's parents can't accept her age after all, and their relationship ended there. That's how Yingguang Guo became single at the age of 33, a « left-over woman », considered by the eyes of contemporary Chinese society. Burdened by all of the questions she could not find answers to, Guo went to the People's Park in Shanghai to perform as her own « matchmaker », holding a sign with her own accomplishments, while the parents come sniffing around to assess her suitability for their children.

In addition to being a place of relaxation, Shanghai People's Park is also a well-known market for matchmaking that has been in existence for ten years. Hundreds of parents gather there every weekend regardless of weather, clutching succinct summaries of their children on single information sheets that contain their age, height, education, job, salary etc. all in an effort to find an « acceptable » partner for their child to marry.

By photographing daily scenes and details of personal adds at the matchmaking corner, Guo also uses photo-etching techniques to create a series of abstract images that reveal the turbulent truths of arranged marriages beneath the seemingly calm surface depicted by peaceful images of the park, such as traditional intergenerational relationships and views of marriage, as well as discrimination against the so-called « left-over women »."

The small texts / captions are in English and Chinese only.

Velvet cover. The book includes three "pockets" from where you can pullout a double page including 2 photographs each.

86 pages - Softcover

La Maison de Z, 2018

Format : 20.5 x 28.7 cm

*Signed*

New - Mint condition

$54.93

Guo, Yingguang

Yingguang Guo is a Chinese photographer who started working for Reuters and other media groups, then shifted to more documentary and artistic endeavours. Her work revolves around social issues in contemporary China. Her project "Bliss of Conformity" about arranged marriages and a « market » of bachelors organized by their mothers in Shanghai was exhibited at the  Rencontres d'Arles festival in 2018 and was published as an artist book in 2017, then released in a trade edition in 2018, both by « La Maison de Z ». © Portrait taken from the artist's website
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