Vanessa is exploring the idea of searching for The Original Face through the concept of kōans, particularly focusing on Case 23 from the “Gateless Gate” collection, where individuals contemplate their face before birth. The author argues that kōans act like a mental scalpel, cutting through rationality to allow for a deeper understanding of the irrational and intuitive self, transcending individual and ancestral existence. The conclusion highlights that this original face remains elusive within photographic documentation, extending beyond genealogy into the depth of existence.
Vanessa’s exploration of the Personal Reality theme aligns closely with her use of the lith printing technique in her photographic study. She first encountered and became captivated by the aesthetics and characteristics of lith printing during her initial experience with the process at RadLab studio. Lith printing, an alternative photographic method, involves using a dilute, high-contrast developer traditionally meant for lithographic negatives, resulting in a unique and unpredictable aesthetic due to the phenomenon of “infectious development,” making each print distinct and impossible to replicate.
16.08.1992 self portrait
Technique: Lith Print, Scanography
Negative used: digital negatives 30×40 cm; 8×6.5 cm
Print size: 120×160 cm; 8×6.5 cm
Vanessa is exploring the idea of searching for The Original Face through the concept of kōans, particularly focusing on Case 23 from the “Gateless Gate” collection, where individuals contemplate their face before birth. The author argues that kōans act like a mental scalpel, cutting through rationality to allow for a deeper understanding of the irrational and intuitive self, transcending individual and ancestral existence. The conclusion highlights that this original face remains elusive within photographic documentation, extending beyond genealogy into the depth of existence.
Vanessa’s exploration of the Personal Reality theme aligns closely with her use of the lith printing technique in her photographic study. She first encountered and became captivated by the aesthetics and characteristics of lith printing during her initial experience with the process at RadLab studio. Lith printing, an alternative photographic method, involves using a dilute, high-contrast developer traditionally meant for lithographic negatives, resulting in a unique and unpredictable aesthetic due to the phenomenon of “infectious development,” making each print distinct and impossible to replicate.
16.08.1992 self portrait
Technique: Lith Print, Scanography
Negative used: digital negatives 30×40 cm; 8×6.5 cm
Print size: 120×160 cm; 8×6.5 cm
The original artworks created by Vanessa Lu as part of “PERSONAL REALITY: photography studies” you can see in Sofia Arsenal – Museum Of Contemporary Art till 14/01/24.
The original artworks created by Vanessa Lu as part of “PERSONAL REALITY: photography studies” exhibition has been exposed in Sofia Arsenal – Museum Of Contemporary Art between 02.11.2023 and 14.01.2024.
“PERSONAL REALITY: photography studies” is part of the project “Alternative Photography in Contemporary Art and Education”, which is implemented with the financial support of National Culture Fund, Bulgaria.
