History of Life

Cai Dongdong

The hardback book cover shows the title and author in delicate black type on a white background. The typography is both in Chinese and English.
Spread of the pages 248 and 249, on the left page depicting a figure in a hat, standing in front pf what appears to be a village. On the right, we see workers on a field and a buffalo standing in a trench, looking towards the camera. Both images are black and white and sit centred on the respective pages.
The book's spine repeats the cover's title and author name in both English and Chinese as well as the publisher's name, 'IMAGELESS'.
Spread of the pages 296 and 297, on the right hand side showing a black and white photograph of a smiling, naked baby on a bed.
The back of the book's white cover reveals only the publisher's logo in black, centred at the bottom.
Publisher:
Imageless Press

History of Life is a collection of 415 restored photographs chronicling the history of modern China, from 1910s to the late 1990s. Compiled from over 600,000 negatives, Cai Dongdong curated the book using salvaged negatives from ordinary Chinese citizens and public records which he developed, scanned and selected. Adding a few of his own pictures into the story, the artist crafted his interpretation of the birth and growth of modern China over 3 of the country’s most formative eras: the founding of the Republic, the cultural revolution, and the post-Mao era.

In the artists own words:

“These images carry the memory of Chinese people. Memories are the only way to establish life.  The process of forming this memory symbolizes how I visualize history. Visualization is the only way to understand facts.”

Year
2021
Length
500
Cover
Hardback
Binding
Perfect binding
Dimensions
17 x 22 cm

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