伴随着中国经济的高速发展，中国各地出现了许多匪夷所思的景象。这种景象，其言诡异程度，有时似乎只可用魔幻两字来形容。像摄影家博尚镜头中的内蒙古某地，就是这么一个充满了超现实景象的地方。

　　在内蒙古，某些地方因为丰富的煤炭资源而变得经济富足，也许可以说是异常富足，因此一夜之间出现了一些豪气干云与人烟罕网的鬼城。在这里，人烟稀少，却有幢幢高楼密集于此。面对这样的发展奇迹与吊诡景观，博尚是如何呈现的?而且通过这样的景象他要给出什么启示?

　　在他的这些画面中，隐约有一些人类现代文明的痕迹，但占据画面主体部位的，是势态各异的远古恐龙。这两者(主要是这两者)形成了一种诡异的视觉对比。通过照相机镜头的观看与呈现，这些置身于荒野中的人造恐龙与荒原风景浑然一体，令人产生时光倒流的错觉。

　　博尚的这些画面并非建构于摄影棚，而是来自于他在内蒙古大地的辛苦跋涉。而有时出现在画面中的看似误操作(其实是有意为之)所留下的光线的痕迹，更暗示了现实中的某种不可抗力的存在，大大增强了画面的超现实感。

　　通过在摄影棚里建构的影像来视觉化某种观念或讲述某种故事，是当代摄影中的重要手法。由此而展现出来的多彩的摄影表现实践，也成为了当代摄影表现的重要一翼。而像博尚这样的通过在大千世界中的寻寻觅觅，来寻找一种符合自己观念的景物与景象，通过纯粹摄影的方式转换成一种介于现实与非现实的影像，并且以此来言说自己有关当下与未来的思考，其艰辛程度，较之于纯粹建构的影像实践来说，似乎更为辛苦。至少在我看来是如此。当然，我这么说并无贬低建构式影像的意图。但是，博尚似乎更愿意通过这样的努力与方式来实现个人言说的视觉化。

　　博尚努力用来自现实的现实的元素，来建构一种非现实的画面，同时通过这样的画面来言说思想的追索与呈示自己思考的指向。我们知道，恐龙这个意象与远古洪荒联系在一起，这类地球上没有天敌的物种消逝，同时也无法摆脱与曾经发生在地球上的某种大毁灭的联想。博尚所提示的这些仿佛回到远古的影像，是否也喻示了文明的必然结局?我们虽然不是文明悲观论者，但通过他的影像，有时不免产生这样的联想：文明无论有多伟大，但在自然的伟力(有时就是毁灭性的伟力)面前，仍然渺小，无从永恒。他的照片中出没于各种现代文明物象周边的恐龙，本身就是一种对文明的嘲弄与警示。我认为，优秀的作品应该可以激发出对于文明、文化的思考，也能够激发对于如何运用摄影来呈现这种思考的冲动与热情。也许，博尚的摄影所追求的就是具有思想质地的、体现他本人的文化思考的影像。

　　2011-8

　　“An unexpected reality” by Posher

　　Pursuit of images rich with thoughtful texture and reflecting interrogations on civilization

　　Admiring Posher’s photographs brings a feeling

　　With China’s rapid economic development, one can witness many incredible scenes in places all across the country. Sometimes, these scenes are so unimaginably strange that the one word which can best describe them is “unrealistic”. Just like this place somewhere in Inner Mongolia, captured in the lenses of photographer Posher, full of such surreal images.

　　Because of their abundant coal resources, some areas in Inner Mongolia have thriven tremendously and become so prosperous that several “ghost towns” have soared overnight here and there. These cities boast huge blocks of buildings and all kind of facilities, large avenues, but are sparsely populated. The overall feeling is that of an abandoned place.

　　Faced with this landscape paradox brought by growth miracle, how did Posher choose to present the situation? And through the scenes he has captured, what kind of enlightenment does he want to share with us?

　　His photographs show some faint traces of modern human civilization, but occupying the main part of the pictures are dinosaurs in all kind of positions. Both contents tend to create a strange visual contrast. Through observation and rendering by camera lenses, these man-made dinosaurs appearing in the wilderness seem to merge with the vast landscape, giving us the illusion of travelling back in time.

　　Posher’s pictures are not the result of studio work with elaborate composition and artifacts. They are the fruit of his many peregrinations in the vast Inner Mongolia province. And the traces of light left in some of the pictures that may appear as technical errors are actually intentional. They contribute to imply the existence of a force majeure, thus enhancing greatly the super-realism of these pictures.

　　Scenes construction in studio in order to render a story or concept is a most popular approach in contemporary photography. But Posher prefers to scout the boundless territories of China in search of natural scenes consistent with his ideas, and by way of pure photography, turn these existing materials into images at the frontier between reality and fiction, expressing his concern about both present and future. This is a much more difficult work than just “building” up the whole scene, at least in my point of view. Of course, I have no intention to belittle the constructivist approach. However, Posher is more willing to achieve personal visual speech through time-consuming search and rendering of real elements.

　　Everyone knows that dinosaurs belong to the prehistoric ages and though they had no predators, this specie disappeared from the surface of the earth. So when we see these animals, we cannot help but think about some sort of destruction that once occurred on our planet.

　　Through these images evoking prehistoric times, perhaps Posher is aiming at a metaphor for the inevitable end of civilization?

　　Even though we are not pessimistic, when looking at these pictures, we have to acknowledge that no matter how great a civilization, we are quite small things in comparison with the mighty force of nature, which is sometimes of destructive type, and are by no way eternal.

　　The dinosaurs in these photos are placed next to elements of modern civilization, as some sort of mockery as well as a warning. As far as I am concerned, qualitative work is one that can stimulate cultural thinking but also stimulate the use of photography to show one’s concern and passion. The pursuit of Posher’s pictures might be to have a thoughtful texture to them reflecting his own vision about civilization.

　　Gu Zheng

　　2011-8