Koan
Xiaoyi Chen
PJB Editions
Hardcover, case-bound book, sewn binding
72 pages
210×270 mm
ISBN: 978-0-9576314-2-7
Chinese photographer Xiaoyi Chen uses the photogravure process to create extraordinarily beautiful prints on a variety of Japanese and other fine art papers. Chen’s vision originates from immersion in Zen and Taoist philosophies: philosophies which, in contradiction to Western thought, emphasise the inadequacy of language and words, and the importance of intuition over reason and logic, to transform the self. In Zen Buddhism Koan is a story or riddle used to help in the attainment of a state of spontaneous reflection, free from planning and analytical thought.
The book’s images, mostly landscapes, many taken in Iceland, often dissolve to abstraction. Chen’s radiant images, in a complementary sequence and design, produce a photo book that provides an exhilarating visual experience.
Xiaoyi Chen was born in Chengdu, China in 1992. She received an MA in photography from The London College of Communications in 2014, where she was awarded the Photofusion Prize. She is the 2015 winner of China’s prestigious Three Shadows Photography Award.
www.chenxiaoyi.net
PJB Editions was established in London in 2013, by artist and designer Rosie Ritchie and photographer Philip J Brittan, to produce beautifully crafted books, portfolios and prints.
