Alex Guofeng Cao
Alex Guofeng Cao is a photographer, born in China but raised in the States and now living and working in New York. He is inspired by such masters as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Edward Weston, and Robert Mapplethorpe.
Working in black and white image, Cao expresses a deep fascination for subtle gradations of tone between the deep black and the stark white which balances each other quiet well. Most recent body of work by Cao is a series of images of popular culture icons. At first glance, it looks like a mosaic of celebrity. However, upon closer inspection, one can see that these stars are composed of a constellation of tiny repetitive images each slightly differing from its neighbors. The arrays of miniscule visages that compose and conspire to form the larger portraits are iconic images themselves. The plot thickens as one realizes that there is a play, a dialogue between the chosen characters that inhabit each other.
As one looks closer and closer at the images and scrutinize all the intricate details, one may begin to realize that hidden within the sea of tiny repetitive images are carefully chosen codes and clues that the author inserted in strategic locations, as a reminder of the events and situations in which these characters were involved in history.
In the end, the process of encoding and layering of information of the times is ultimately the goal. As time passes, so does information get deposited into the works. These images undergo evolution and change as time passes, and they bear the marks of a collection of history, as well as the author’s intent.
Cao has exhibited in the United States and Europe. He participated in various art fairs around the world including Scope and San Francisco Art Fair.
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