Mother and Child(2014-ongoing)

In 2011, while I was shooting the twin series, I noticed two children from different families who looked very similar. I was very surprised at the time, as the two families were separated by dozens of miles. After further questioning, I discovered that both children had Down syndrome. Due to their unique facial features, they are commonly known as "international faces" or "international people" in some areas. Out of curiosity, I researched extensively on the subject. What intrigued me the most was that the Italian painter Andrea Mantegna (1431~1506) portrayed Jesus in the image of the Virgin and Child as a child with Down syndrome, whereas Martin Luther (1483-1546) publicly called for the killing of people with intellectual disabilities. It is evident that even though they shared the same religion, there were two very different attitudes towards people with disabilities. Some people speculate that Down's syndrome was not considered a disease at that time. After all, the existence of Down syndrome was first published by John Langdon Down in 1866 in "Observations on an Ethnic Classification of Idiots". This shows that the classification criteria and categories of disabilities are variable, and the division between normal and disabled people is a conscious social behavior. In a certain period, people regarded as being disabled by society may be considered normal human beings in another space-time situation.
Everyone has a different body, and it is this difference that makes us unique human beings. However, the physical appearance of people with disabilities often becomes the focus of public attention, leading to their being despised, ridiculed, and even regarded as evil. When people are used to looking at disabled people with different eyes, the parents of children with disabilities face immense pressure. Thus, I wanted to respond to the portrait of the Virgin and Child by Andrea Mantegna by taking photographs of mothers with children born with disabilities.

母与子

2011年,我在拍摄双胞胎系列作品时,发现两个模特家里的孩子长着相似的面孔,当时十分惊讶,毕竟两个家庭相距几十里。经过询问才得知他们患有唐氏综合征。由于独特的面部特征,他们在部分地区被俗称为“国际脸”或“国际人”。
出于好奇,我查找了大量资料。其中吸引我的是,意大利画家安德烈亚·曼特尼亚(Andrea Mantegna,1431~1506)将<<圣母子>>像中的耶稣描绘成了有唐氏综合征特征的孩子,而马丁·路德(Martin Luther,1483-1546)却公开呼吁杀死智障人士。在同一宗教中有两种截然不同的态度令人深思,有人推测原因是当时唐氏综合征还没有被认为是一种疾病,毕竟到1866年才被约翰·朗顿·唐首次发表这一存在先天性智力障碍的病症。这显示了残障的分类标准与范畴是可变的,也显示了关于正常人与残障人的划分其实是某种有意识的社会行为。
每个人都有一个与众不同的身体,正因为此种差异我们得以作为独特的存在。然而,残障人身体的迥异样貌却往往成为公众注目的焦点,以致于被轻视、嘲笑甚至被视为邪恶。当人们习惯了以异样目光去看待残障群体的时候,抚养残障孩子就面临巨大压力.于是我就想回应一下安德烈亚·曼特尼亚的《圣母子》肖像,拍摄一些母亲和被认定为天生残障的孩子。