CHINA POWER STATION II

I really like Cao Fei's artistic style: after my last post entitled CHINA POWER STATION I, I kept looking for her works, as something else displayed in the exhibition in Turin drew my attention: a few big pictures hanging on the wall and a video. The pictures were still imaeges taken from a documentary she did in 2004, entitled "Cosplayers" (an ultra-brief - and probably unnecessary - explaination: the word "cosplay" is the contraction of "costume" and "play", it originated in Japan and refers to a sort of performance art, in which participants dress up like some famous fictional characters, usually drawn from manga, anime, comics, animation, video games, and so on). Unfortunately, I couldn't find Cao Fei's video online, but on her website I found a statement from which I would like to propose an exerpt, as it describes a peculiar phenomenon of popular culture that is becoming extremely trendy also in China: 

"In recent years a group of COSPLAYERS, growing up in and around China's coastal cities, have been confronted by both the traditional values of the Chinese education system and subjected to the pull of invading foreign cultures in the new century. As a group of adolescents who refuse to grow-up, they choke themselves with passionate impulses and an undisguised infatuation with personal fancies, expressed through ways and manners only they can understand and be comfortable with. Their characters are often filled with violence, a thirst for power, as well as magical powers but, compared to the boredom, emptiness, rebelliousness, and violence that accompany the lives of many of today's adolescents, escaping inside this sub-cultural cocoon merely seeks to affirm the value of their own existence in society. They frequently and eagerly appear in all kinds of large and small commercial events or trendy places, gaining exposure in the news media, and setting themselves up as spoke-persons for young people today. In the process they attract the attention of many curious onlookers and a sizable peer group following. The satisfaction they gain from their contrived fantasy world counterbalances their despair and despondency in the real world. In fact, since they seek to hide their personality, the pleasure and sense of honor they gain derives from their virtual characters, not their natural identity. They are prepared to shoulder the burden of a split personality in the everyday world, for such a duality of reality and fantasy soothes and comforts their cravings in the same way as fairy tales have become an indispensable part of their lives." (http://www.caofei.com/works/photography/, choose "Coldplayers" on the right and this statement can be found after the first still)

Other photographic works about cosplayers are displayed on her website: Un-Cosplayers and Cos-Cosplayers. From this last series, I chose the ones I like best and share them here. I guess I like them because I appreciate the contrast of the romantic gothic outfit and the "bad" elements (namely the helmets) of Darth Vader and Stormtroopers from George Lucas' Star Wars.

Mi piace lo stile artistico di Cao Fei: dopo aver postato CHINA POWER STATION I, ho continuato a cercare le sue opere, visto che qualcos'altro esposto alla mostra di Torino mi aveva incuriosito: alcune fotografie appese al muro e un video. Le fotografie erano immagini still prese da un documentario del 2004, intitolato "Cosplayers" (una velocissima - e probabilmente non necessaria - spiegazione: la parola "cosplay" è la contrazione di "costume" e "play", ha avuto origine in Giappone e indica una sorta di arte performativa, in cui i partecipanti si vestono come alcuni personaggio famosi, di solito provenienti da manga, anime, fumetti, animazioni, video giochi, e così via). Purtroppo, non ho trovato il video di Cao Fei, ma nel suo sito ho trovato una dichiarazione, di cui voglio proporre un estratto, visto che descrive un fenomeno peculiare delle cultura popolare, che sta diventando di tendenza anche in Cina: 

"In recent years a group of COSPLAYERS, growing up in and around China's coastal cities, have been confronted by both the traditional values of the Chinese education system and subjected to the pull of invading foreign cultures in the new century. As a group of adolescents who refuse to grow-up, they choke themselves with passionate impulses and an undisguised infatuation with personal fancies, expressed through ways and manners only they can understand and be comfortable with. Their characters are often filled with violence, a thirst for power, as well as magical powers but, compared to the boredom, emptiness, rebelliousness, and violence that accompany the lives of many of today's adolescents, escaping inside this sub-cultural cocoon merely seeks to affirm the value of their own existence in society. They frequently and eagerly appear in all kinds of large and small commercial events or trendy places, gaining exposure in the news media, and setting themselves up as spoke-persons for young people today. In the process they attract the attention of many curious onlookers and a sizable peer group following. The satisfaction they gain from their contrived fantasy world counterbalances their despair and despondency in the real world. In fact, since they seek to hide their personality, the pleasure and sense of honor they gain derives from their virtual characters, not their natural identity. They are prepared to shoulder the burden of a split personality in the everyday world, for such a duality of reality and fantasy soothes and comforts their cravings in the same way as fairy tales have become an indispensable part of their lives." (http://www.caofei.com/works/photography/, scegliere "Coldplayers" alla destra e questa dichiarazione comparirà sotto alla prima immagine still).

Nel suo sito, si possono trovare altre opere fotografiche sui cosplayers: Un-Cosplayers e Cos-Cosplayers. Di quest'ultima serie, ho scelto le foto che mi hanno colpito e le ripropongo qui. Credo mi piacciano perché apprezzo il contrasto dell'abbigliamento romantico/gotico e gli elementi "cattivi" (gli elmi) di Darth Vader e degli Stormtroopers della serie Guerre Stellari di George Lucas.