Cao Fei builds beautiful nightmares. In an imaginary city gripped by apocalyptic transformation, a school band blows a silent march; a boy on a camel surveys acres of destruction from his hilltop perch; a dying squid leaks blood all over an abandoned factory floor. Guangzhou, the artist’s real home town, also becomes a forum of fantasy. Equipped with a camera and a gothic sensibility, she navigates the city’s wasted edges, its huge apartment complexes, and dramatically reconfigured landscapes. She wades into ugliness and emerges with dystopic trophies.
曹斐构建了一个又一个美丽的噩梦。在一座陷入末日变革的虚构城市里，一支校园乐团吹奏着无声的进行曲；一个男孩骑在一匹骆驼上，从高处俯视着大片城市废墟；一只垂死的章鱼流出的鲜血在一座废弃工厂的地板上到处蔓延。在曹斐的镜头中，连她的家乡广州都成了一座幻想广场。带着一部摄像机和哥特风格的鉴赏力，她在城市的废弃边缘、庞大的公寓楼群间穿行，然后将这些景观进行戏剧化地重构。她蹚入丑恶的洪流，然后带着反乌托邦的战利品出现在大众面前。