The work of a scandalous Chinese photographer who committed suicide a month before his 30th birthday

Chinese photographer Ren Hang was one of the brightest figures in modern Chinese photography, his work was loved by fashion magazines and exhibited by galleries around the world. (Careful! Nude)

Ren Hang was born in 1987 in Changchun, Jilin Province, China. He was the only child in the family and was immersed in computer games all his childhood. Thanks to the Internet, he absorbed European culture and thus formed his understanding of freedom.

Hang was educated as an advertiser at a university in Beijing. At this time, the young man realized that he was not interested in university classes — photography was closer to him.

Hang began photographing in 2008, starting with shooting a naked roommate in a dorm. At first, his friends acted as models, and then his fans, who learned about him by word of mouth. The young man was self-taught and photographed, according to him, without any purpose, once admitting that he was just shooting what he saw.

As a student, Hang became interested in landscape: he believed that China was the most beautiful country on earth. But in most of his works, nature serves as a background for people: "I think people don't need landscapes — they care more about their body. I am interested in the process of manifestation of sexuality, this mysterious act. I took erotic photos for my own pleasure. Now I understand that sexuality is the most natural and attractive thing in the world."

Many people are puzzled by Hang's photographs, they do not fit into the classical understanding of beauty and aesthetics.

He used human bodies to create strange structures forming geometric compositions in the frame.

The photographer earned a scandalous reputation, primarily in his native country: his experiments were too audacious for communist China, where pornographic images have been banned since 1949. Hang was arrested several times for his websites, although he himself doubted that there were legitimate reasons for this.

At the same time, Hang denied that his works use taboos or seek to "push the boundaries of what is permissible": "I just do what I do."

Hang's friend, gallery owner Dries Rolens, commented on his work: "He always had some difficulties with demonstrating his radical views on art. His pictures have always been filled with sexuality and a sense of humor — this is a bright and controversial style that is truly unprecedented for Chinese photography."

Hang was internationally known and presented his works in Italy, France, Israel, Sweden and other countries around the world: he has more than 70 collective and more than 20 solo exhibitions. He was also a contributor to the alternative magazine Boys Don't Cry by American musician Frank Ocean. At the same time, he did not want to leave his native country, despite the persecution of the authorities.

The photographer suffered from cyclical depression and even kept a diary of poems on his website, entitled with the words "My depression".

Alexander Oberg, a representative of the Tryffelgrisen gallery, spoke about Hang in a conversation with TIME as follows: "The news of Ren's death shocked and saddened us very much. He was such a wonderful person. We still can't believe it's true. We can only guess what made him commit suicide at just 29 years old. Hang was a wonderful person and an incredibly creative artist who could share so much more with the world. The gallery collaborated with him for several years and exhibited his work before he became widely known."

Oberg added that he had always known Hang as a "kind, modest and a little shy person."

In 2016, the photographer was awarded the Dutch award in the field of alternative photography by the Outlet / Unseen Exhibition Fund for "using the structure of fashion photography in creating sexy compositions and new sculptural forms using the body."

Hang was supported by another world—famous photographer from China - Ai Weiwei, they collaborated. Weiwei presented his protege as the "guiding star" of modern Chinese photography.

During Ren Hang's lifetime, seven books with his works were published. Taschen Publishing house recently released his retrospective edited by Diana Hanson, who founded the pornographic magazine Puritan in the 1970s (in December 2016 we published her interview with the author of the erotic album "Lesbians for Men").

At the time of Hang's death, an exhibition of his works was held at the Foam Photography Museum in Amsterdam.