Sitting on the Wall: Haikou V

2001

Not on view

For Weng Fen, a schoolgirl serves as the avatar for a country in the throes of physical, social, economic, and political change—a collective self-portrait of China, and of the modern world. "These young girls are the mirrors of us," said Weng in a 2015 interview, before rising nationalism and a withdrawal from openness to the world took hold. "The distant cities are the by-products of modernization’s dream; in the eyes of people they represent civilization and modern progress. The city has become the religion of today. By calmly observing this ‘hyper-progress,’ I can then understand that men’s desires are the basis for social problems. The girls embody these desires, these needs. Through them, we are at the same time excited, puzzled, waiting."

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Sitting on the Wall: Haikou V
Artist: Weng Fen (Chinese, born 1961)
Date: 2001
Medium: Chromogenic print
Dimensions: Image: 50 x 62.7 cm (19 11/16 x 24 11/16 in.)
Sheet: 58 x 70.6 cm (22 13/16 x 27 13/16 in.)
Classification: Photographs
Credit Line: Gift of Ellie Warsh, 2009
Object Number: 2009.539.4
Rights and Reproduction: © Weng Fen
Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Three Women In A Country Funeral, Long Xian, Shaanxi Province
, Liu Zheng Chinese, Gelatin silver print — Three Women In A Country Funeral, Long Xian, Shaanxi Province
Liu Zheng
2000

Untitled, Kohei Yoshiyuki Japanese, Gelatin silver print — Untitled
Kohei Yoshiyuki
1971

Boden Sea, Uttwil, Hiroshi Sugimoto Japanese, Gelatin silver print — Boden Sea, Uttwil
Hiroshi Sugimoto
1993

Runner in the City, El Lissitzky Russian, Gelatin silver print — Runner in the City
El Lissitzky
ca. 1926

Four Seasons: Winter, Hai Bo Chinese, Chromogenic print — Four Seasons: Winter
Hai Bo
2001–2003

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.