“Niche”

2023

The subjects of these pictures are not living creatures, but only specimens and prehistoric life in museums, as these images reveal, the dead creatures soaked by formalin can look eerily lifelike just like sleeping when I photographed with all the details of their hair and skin.

Sometimes, I would think that these creatures which have been living in the past just leave their bodies in reality, maybe their spirits go to some wonderlands that we never know. Later, during the shooting, I gradually discovered that these specimens on display were also very similar to the statues in temples, which gradually gave me a sense of shock. Perhaps to some extent, these specimens carry some kind of divinity in their bodies. When I took pictures of them as statues of gods, all fear disappeared, maybe life itself was a miracle.

I tried different photographic techniques to build an unreal feeling of these “bodies”, and maybe to some degree, I think these creatures look like in the womb which showed a peaceful and quiet state before they were born.

However, I regard these specimens as some immortals and named this series“Niche”, it is about places for both gods and creatures.









© HUAIYI DU · 2025