Photographer's Profile

Gangfeng Wang

Gang of One Photography, China

Gangfeng Wang(Gang of One Photography) came late to photography. Like many of his generation he worked as a labourer during the difficult years following the Cultural Revolution. But although he couldn’t afford a camera, he would find himself framing images in his mind as he worked in factories and on farms across China: a sea of young workers carrying baskets of mud, the wrinkles on the face of his grandmother. It was these memories that stimulated Wang’s appreciation for finding the perfect photographic moment. In 1982, with a second-hand camera and expired film, he set out to capture the daily small events that surrounded him. With no formal photography schools to teach him, he pored over whatever material he could find and spent countless hours refining his technical knowledge. His first published work appeared in China’s People’s Daily and as he began to sell his images he established Gang of One Photography. His work became recognised internationally for its “ability to document the diversity of the human experience in China”. The Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland selected 18 of his photos for their permanent collection, Photo Life magazine named him as one of 25 top photographers and in 1994 he won the prestigious Ballantine’s First International Photography Award. Though based in Shanghai, Wang travels far from home capturing the faces, traditions and customs of his beloved China.