Liu Yiqing’s first solo exhibition in China at Don Gallery documents the lives of her and her closely knit group of 10 friends at the Shanghai University Fine Arts School. Liu says the exhibit has no “greater meaning,” yet it is not devoid of theme; it reads like a diary of a Chinese girl trying to go against the mainstream.

“We supported this exhibit because it’s unique,” says Cheng Xixing, manager of Don Gallery. “This circle of friends was living differently from everyone else in 2002.” Some viewers praised the exhibition for its honesty. A group of Chinese men, on the other hand, stared at the photographs of grungy young people in various stages of undress and drag and then commented that this group of people “must be very low class.”

Nipples and tongues do feature prominently in Yiqing’s photography, but the lewdness is toned down by several more reflective pieces. This leads to a rather chaotic display. French kisses share space with elephants. A neon “Open” sign, made especially for the show, casts a red glow from the middle of the room. A disco ball spins over a waving cat statue.

Yiqing’s biggest strength is her eye for simplicity, and many of her photos should be featured more prominently instead of muffled by their proximity to other works. For instance, the image of a sunflower, gnarled and neglected next to an overflowing ashtray, is poignant and powerful. But it is stuck far in a corner, surrounded by a patchwork of other photos. It’s easy to miss. The black and white image of a beetle crawling across a massive timepiece is more stunning than the framed photograph of a girl, blindfolded, showing one hot pink nipple. However, the beetle is on a collage board cloaked in half light, while the girl has a whole wall to herself.

Liu presents a work that tries to portray her life, down to a rendering of her bedroom, complete with chairs and a table. However, the story her photos are trying to tell might be more compelling if it was more clearly pronounced.

By Monica Liao