REALITY |Chinese TV

Fu+Weixin

Despite the overwhelming intrusion by myriad new media formats， television is still considered the widest-reaching communication platform and entertainment format， and remains authoritative in China. While every TV show seems to spare no effort in promoting attitudes or values to a wide range of spectators， a nations political， economic and cultural development is exposed through the medium. For most Chinese TV watchers， only a few programs are tailored for them， yet the hundreds of others are still consumed unconsciously. In an attempt to symbolize the lack of realism， pandering and shortsightedness of Chinese TV， which is often churned out solely to wrap around commercials， I tried to capture the facial expressions of TV personalities the moment their eyes were closed. As for the domestic settings where the TV sets are found， I employed them to illustrate the social status and cultural backgrounds of the audience to reflect Chinese peoples varying living situations.

Screened Society

Unlike other documentary photographers who tend to choose tangible subjects and interpret them with personal attitudes， Fu Weixin turned to TV screen， the most influential information platform， as his subject when examining modern China. A large number of variety shows about dating， finance， beauty and traditional Chinese philosophy are reforming peoples values about life and culture with their strong visual penetration. With just a group of seemingly repeated images， this series mirrors the publics absurd daily routines： lie down， lust， feign happiness and get trapped.