Wang Yuanjing is a member of China Photographers Association, China Artistic Photography Society, China Women Photographers Association. She participated in “China Original Landscape” photography exhibition in Turkey in 2015, and held “Lancang Happiness+” photography exhibition (100 photographs) at Lancang Lahu Autonomous County Museum, Yunnan Province in September 2021.

She exhibited her works at China Millennium Monument and won the title of Top Ten Architectural Photographers in “The 2nd Architectural Art Photography Exhibition” of Photo Beijing in July 2022.

In February 2023, she participated in “Ode to the Ancient and Modern Worlds” Beijing Central Axis Cultural Photography Exhibition; the photo collection “My Heart Flies” was permanently collected by the World Art Centre of China Millennium Monument; in 2023, she won the President’s Alliance Award at the 10th Dali International Photography Festival; her works were also selected for the 23rd Pingyao International Photography Exhibition and the 2023 Lishui Photography Festival.

Fashion and Creativity

The earliest use of masks dates back to the sixth century BC, when religious believers wore them to honour their gods, and today masks are an essential part of our lives, protecting us from respiratory diseases. But who would have thought that this little mask would become a fashion symbol? Twenty years ago, Ms Wang Yuanjing became interested in masks and has collected nearly a thousand of them in various styles.

The main interest of Ms Wang’s mask collection is the fact that there is a lot of content on this small piece of cloth. It’s like a small canvas on which we can draw, design and scribble, with plenty of room for creativity. Wearing it hides the face, but presents another world, a world that is symbiotic with the culture of dress.

The most interesting thing is that the photographer Wang Yuanjing does not simply collect the masks, but makes a “collusion” between the masks and herself. For masks of different styles, colours and patterns, she has gone to great lengths to find a suitable outfit for them, and then presented them in the language of photography. In her photographs we can see that the masks are in perfect harmony with her appearance and clothes. The images are exquisite, beautiful and fashionable, and there seems to be a story behind each piece, some are very playful, some are cartoonish, and of course some have an overall image of dignity and elegance, while others are even more passionate. When this kind of novel clothing collocation appears in people’s lives or under the lens, will you be keen to find the expression between them? Perhaps this is the photographer Wang Yuanjing wants to bring us “freshness”. To achieve a ‘seamless’ feeling, firstly, we must be attentive, careful in the creation of materials on the strict selection, there can not be a little compromise; secondly, prepare your mind to match each mask with the outfit; thirdly, perseverance, once everything is set for the creation of new works, then the photographer must continue to do it. When we are presented with all her work, we have to admire her perseverance, the hard work behind it and the passion for creation. Therefore, what we see in Wang Yuanjing’s collection is not just a mask, nor just a piece of photographic work, but a collection and presentation of a dress culture. Through the images she presents with her costume masks, we can appreciate the creator’s aesthetic quality, cultural cultivation and rich life experience. Yes, the creation of art is sometimes mysterious and sometimes straightforward. Like building a house, the collection of bricks is equally important and indispensable. When the collection is completed, looking at each photo, all the research, matching, make-up, lighting and shooting come back to mind, like a diary that silently records each process.

While we find the charm of this group of photographs, we also find this kind of perseverance of the photographer, who builds her work step by step over a long period of time. We can clearly see that the function of photography here is not only to record, but more than the mere process of taking the picture.