China’s first World-Renowned Female Fashion Photographer

Chen Man explores the relationship between technology and aesthetics.

WORDS: OSKAR HAMMARKRANTZ, PHOTOGRAPHY: CHEN MAN

Tiananmen Square, also known as the Square of Heavenly Peace. Thousands and thousands of tourists from all over the world and the rest of China, lining up to take snapshots of the famous gate leading into the Forbidden City. In 1990, the then 10-year old Chen Man was one of them, and her friends were her models posing. However, Man was not a tourist. Growing up in a narrow alley just behind the famous square, this was her own backyard and playground.

“I would ride my bike through Tiananmen Square on my way to school, carrying my backpack. That was a snapshot of my childhood. So, photos of the square are important to me. It was where I formed my photographic vision,” she told the South China Morning Post. “Everyone had a bicycle, but no one had a watch. So, my friends and I used to draw watches on our wrists for fun.”

“This relationship between technology and aesthetics is like that of science and philosophy – in an ideal world, the two walk side by side.”

That would soon change. With the economic boom in China in the early ’90s, the hunger for fashion, accessories, and luxury items couldn’t be satisfied quickly enough. Around the turn of the millennium, many Chinese fashion magazines entered the market. Still, they mainly copied their Western counterparts' styles and beauty standards, either by directly publishing covers featuring white Caucasian models or imitating the cute, more playful aesthetic of Japanese or Korean magazines.

In 2003, at the age of 23 and still a student at Central Academy of Fine Arts, Man got an assignment by Shanghai-based design and art magazine Vision, to create a series of covers. With these covers, she inspired a new generation of artists who wished to combine old Chinese sensibilities with modern techniques to create art.

Not only was Man a pioneer in the sense of being one of the first native and female fashion photographers, but her images also heavily relied on post-production.

“This relationship between technology and aesthetics is like that of science and philosophy – in an ideal world, the two walk side by side. Achieving such a balance requires artists to master both, combining art and skill in the process. You could call it Chinese essence, Western method, or a mixture of mainstream and alternative looks,” Man told CNN Style.

“To me, photography is sharing that split second with an individual, an object, a scene, a moment of eternal togetherness.”

Chen Man’s 12 covers for i-D.

Man’s distinctive style utilises hyper-realistic techniques, often displaying a bold, colourful, and surreal atmosphere. Soon after, many other fashion magazines lined up for her services. Vogue China, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, i-D, Marie Claire, Madame Figaro, Preference, Nylon, Unlimited and Esquire are just some of the titles that have published her work. Man’s photography for i-D’s “Whatever the Weather” issue, for which she shot 12 covers, was widely hailed as some of the most creative, progressive, and beautifully composed photography of the last decade. Chen Man was not only selected by Swiss luxury watch brand Piaget as one of its 10 Extraordinary Women but she was also hired to photograph a Piaget campaign as well. Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Mercedes-Benz, and Huawei can be found among other notable commercial clients.

“To me, photography is sharing that split second with an individual, an object, a scene, a moment of eternal togetherness. Eternity doesn't exist physically, but the moment I pick up my camera to shoot, I aspire to freeze that perfect moment for eternity,” she told Tatler.

In her art, Man looks back on China’s rich history but combines it with elements of contemporary daily life, thereby creating a new vision of China.

“Europeans watch movies like Farewell My Concubine and come to China with all these romantic expectations, but when they arrive, they’re met with skateboarders, break-dancers, fashion photographers, and a hip hop scene. I want to package this together and not only show it to China but show it to the world. In the past, Chinese artists have always looked abroad for inspiration, as opposed to looking domestically. But because the Western world is so developed in design and photography, all these things have been done before. All the rules have been set. I’m one of the first people to actually look to China for inspiration.”