任航（レン・ハン） : Ren Hang　Republic

Republic (2012) is an early collection of works by Chinese photographer Ren Hang. This book marks the artist's starting point, reconfiguring sex and the body as objects and presenting a cool eroticism with a modern sensibility.

His work, which had a strong presence in the 2010s, is described with terms like "sexual" and "eroticism," yet it goes beyond a simple representation of desire. While using live bodies, it distinctly showcases a perspective that places them as uniform "objects" without emotional fluctuations. Male and female bodies are juxtaposed equally, and even when interacting, they remain somewhat impersonal, revealing a controlled eroticism devoid of heat.

The scenes, composed with elements like the outdoor sky, inorganic tiles, animals, and balloons, maintain an unreal balance while being an extension of reality. In vibrant colors and simple compositions, bodies are treated like symbols, subtly shifting the viewer's perception. A contemporary sense of the body and an approach to distance quietly permeate the work.

This book was the first international publication by Editions du LIC in 2012. Within its intuitive early composition, fragmented images of "loneliness," "love," and "utopia" are woven together, creating an inner landscape that emerges as a "republic." Limited to 1000 copies, each with an edition number. An important collection of early works.

[Title] Republic
[Publisher] Editions du LIC
[Publication Date] 2012 (First Edition)
[Page Count] Unpaginated
[Size] Approx. 302*296*18mm / 1,275g
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] English
[Title Reading] REPUBLIC
[Author/Editor] Ren Hang / Author
[Printing] Zu:m (Norway)
[ISBN] 9788299906746
[Condition] Used 【5】Good (Minor dirt on cover, slight ripple in text, minor stain on top edge)
[Accessories] -
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibitions] -

Ren Hang (1987-2017)

Born in Changchun, Jilin Province, China in 1987. Died in 2017. A photographer based in Beijing.

In a social environment where "sex" is taboo, Ren Hang created works primarily featuring nudes with friends as models. He built his unique visual world through vibrant colors, simple compositions, and body expressions arranged like sculptures. The body images emerging from intimate relationships are poetic yet somewhat impersonal, reflecting a contemporary sensibility.

After publishing self-produced photo books REN HANG 2009–2011 and ROOM in 2011, he vigorously published works both domestically and internationally. In 2012, he released Republic, his first international publication. He held solo exhibitions in Beijing, Paris, New York, Tokyo, and other cities, and participated in international art fairs such as Paris Photo and Photo Basel. In 2010, he won the TERNA Contemporary Art Award.

Main Publications
2011: Ren Hang 2009–2011 (China/Self-published), Room (China/Self-published)
2012: Nude (China/Self-published), Republic (Norway/Éditions du LIC)
2013: Poem Collection of Renhang (Taiwan/Neurasthenia), My Depression (China/Self-published), Son and Bitch (Taiwan/Neurasthenia), The Brightest Light Runs Too Fast (France/Editions Bessard)
2014: Physical Borderline (China/Three Shadows +3 Gallery)
2015: Food Issue (China/Same Studio), Wild (Germany/Die Nacht), New Love (USA/Session Press), Shanghai Visitors (China/Self-published), Seafood Party (China/Self-published)
2016: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November (China/Self-published), Athens Love (USA/Session Press)
2017: Word or Two (USA/BHKM)

Main Solo Exhibitions
2014: "In Addition to Sleep" (Fotogallerie Vasli Souza, Oslo)
2014: "Hide" (MOST 2414 & MOST Gallery, Bangkok)
2014: "In Addition to Sleep" (Copenhagen Photo Festival, Copenhagen)
2015: "The Wild" (OstLicht, Vienna)
2015: "Ren Hang, 2014" (Gallery Capricious 88, New York)
2015: "#OccupyAtopos" (ATOPOS cvc, Athens)
2015: "Athens Love" (Klein Sun Gallery, New York)
2017: "Naked/Nude" (Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, Amsterdam)
2017: "Human Love" (Fotografiska, Stockholm)
2017: "Ren Hang (posthum)" (Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig)
2019: "Love, Ren Hang (posthum)" (Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris / C/O Berlin, Berlin)
2020: "Ren Hang. Nudi (posthum)" (Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato)

His works are held in collections such as the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and the White Rabbit Collection of Chinese Contemporary Art. Ren Hang left a concentrated body of work in his short life, moving between photography and poetry.

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