DoDo Jin Ming : Laurence Miller Gallery

Free Element, Plate IV, 2001

Artist catalog
DoDo Jin Ming, Free Element

DoDo Jin Ming

Respecting the awesome power and drama found only in the sea, DoDo Jin Ming creates extraordinary black and white images that transport the viewer to a precipice about to be submerged under a cascade of water. Printing her pictures from a combination of two negatives, one of the sea, the other sky, Jin Ming has intensified the power of the surging waves by blanketing them under an engulfing sky. Although this technique of multiple-printing harks back to the mid-19^th Century and the majestic and peaceful seascapes of Gustave LeGray, DoDo Jin Ming’s turbulent images are more akin to the paintings of J.M.W. Turner and Winslow Homer. We also sense strong literary connotations, such as Edgar Allen Poe’s "Descent into the Maelstrom" and Dante’s "Inferno." Jin Ming made most of her exposures along the coast of Maine, Nova Scotia, and Hong Kong. Often at great personal risk, she was able to capture on film the power and rage of the sea that would stir the heart of any sailor. Born in Beijing in 1955, she trained as a concert violinist before taking up photography.

Series | Free Element