|
 |
| © Shen Wei |
| "James." Click photo for more images. |
Age: 30
Location: New York City
Website: shenphoto.com
"I don't force any feelings out of a person, I just wait for it to come out naturally."
Moving to a new country always means a big change. But for Shanghai-born Shen Wei, relocating to the United States meant changing his life plans.
Shen had been trained as a graphic designer in China but decided it wasn't for him after working in his hometown for a few years. In 2000 he came to the U.S. to study photography at Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He then received his M.F.A. in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York.
For the past four years, Shen has been working on the series of portraits pictured here, titled Almost Naked. "It is one of those projects I think I can do all my life," he says. Shen is drawn to the series in part because of the emotional connection he is able to establish with his subjects. "I don't force any feelings out of a person, I just wait for it to come out naturally," he explains.
The portraits -- of people in various states of undress, and more or less engaged with the viewer -- have garnered significant attention in the past year. They were included in shows at the Griffin Museum of Photography in Massachusetts, the Jen Bekman Gallery in New York, and the Center on Contemporary Art in Seattle. Two of his images were also recognized with honorable mentions in American Photo's 2006 Images of the Year Competition.
Even though the United States has served his photographic ambitions well, Shen is also eager to present his work more widely back home in China. Until then, he is moving on to new fine-art projects along with occasional commissioned jobs. And like many young photographers, Shen is working to have his Almost Naked series published as a monograph.
|
