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Photographer explores human side of Hangzhou
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FRENCH photographer Rodolphe Toucas’ life changed one fateful day when he met a Chinese woman on a bus in Malta, an island country in the Mediterranean Sea.
It was love at first sight. He eventually married the woman, Li Mengxi, and they have lived in her hometown of Hangzhou since 2011.
As part of the lineup of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between China and France, Toucas and another French photographer are hosting an exhibition in Bordeaux in October.
The photography exhibition is about China with a large number of pictures featuring Hangzhou and its people.
“I want a part of the exhibition to display the people and the society of China, because China is not just a bunch of temples and lakes,” says the specialist in portraits. “What made China, at first, are Chinese people.”
The 38-year-old says Hangzhou reminds him of his hometown Provence because it has a similar laid-back feel and he loves exploring the city, always with a camera in hand.
“Hangzhou is a nice battlefield for a photographer,” he says. “There are so many different places to see.”
He likens his style of photography to a “game” as he is often chasing the lights, the color and the “moment.”
His series “From the Back” has a different take on portraits. All the pictures feature people from behind regardless of whether they are working, dancing or fishing.
“Every human looks similar from behind, yet if you observe clearly their backs are expressive,” he says, adding it is an anti-portrait series.
“It is also a contemplative series. Its romantic inspiration, among others, comes form the painting ‘The Walker Contemplating a Sea of Clouds’ by german romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich.”
Toucas, who lives near West Lake, uses several Canon cameras and an antique Olympus 35mm camera from his grandfather. He likes working with film compared to the digital realm because “one roll only has 36 shots” and it “helps me to think things over before shooting.”
His thirst for exploring knows no boundaries.
The local Hangzhou TV Station has made two documentaries about him. One was about his photos of the Grand Canal, the other about how he found a block comprised of 23 old, small lanes, a place few Hangzhou locals knew about.
“I found that place because the wind took me there,” he says, joking, adding he spends hours traveling around the city most days.
“I do not set any single ‘spot’ for shooting street photography, because even in dirt, a good photographer can find the right angel,” he says.
Toucas also does photography for advertising, live media events, and sometimes magazines.
He and other artists in the city have organized several artistic projects including a cultural program related to capoeira, a Brazilian martial art and dance form, a project about women in Hangzhou, and a performance art involving Chinese music, painting and photography.
The Frenchman adds that he and his wife are fortunate to have visited many cities around China.
“Hangzhou, compared with many other cities, is maybe the quietest, because life goes slowly here,” says Toucas.
There’s a good chance Toucas isn’t in any hurry to leave Hangzhou since he knows there is much more to explore.
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