The Infinite Measure of Time

How brief is a human life compared with the history of the Earth? In Deep Time, Hu Weiyi begins with this dizzying question to explore the relationship between the body, nature and the transformations brought about by humankind. Over the past three years, the artist has travelled across China, from the volcanic landscapes of Changbai Mountain and the spectacular peaks of Zhangjiajie to the vast open-pit mines of the Northeast. His photographs capture both the beauty of nature and the scars left by industry. But Hu goes beyond photography. Blood, hair, gastric acid and pigments extracted from plants physically enter the image-making process, turning photography into a form of “contemporary alchemy”. In the new series Double Screen, images of abandoned mines, plants, bodies and landscapes are incorporated into antique Chinese screens alongside fragments of Song-dynasty painting. The contrast is powerful: the lifespan of a body, a civilisation and a mountain belong to radically different timescales. Deep Time invites us to contemplate them together, reminding us just how fleeting the human presence is within the immense history of our planet.