They No. 7, Three Sisters
Born in the northern province of Jilin and educated at The Art Institute of Jilin as a painter, Hai Bo is one of a group of contemporary Chinese photographers living and working in Beijing and exploring themes of historical, cultural and social change. Unlike many of his contemporaries such as Song Dong and Zhang Huan, Hai Bo is now strictly a photographer, unusual as many artists work in other media such as painting and performance art in addition to photography.
Hai Bo's series "They" from the 1990s and 2000s consists of eleven paired photographs in which he rephotographed snapshots of family and friends taken during the Cultural Revolution and then reassembled the same people in identical poses for a new photograph. The two pictures side by side show the physical trace of time, the loss of "revolutionary idealism," and in some instances, the absence of former friends and relatives.
In this work, They No. 7, Three Sisters, Hai Bo has paired a formal black and white portrait of three young women taken in the 1970s with a contemporary version, in which one of the women is missing. The juxtaposition of the two portraits forces one to contemplate the changes that have taken place in people and society, and the more general themes of time, memory, and mortality.
Hai Bo's series "They" from the 1990s and 2000s consists of eleven paired photographs in which he rephotographed snapshots of family and friends taken during the Cultural Revolution and then reassembled the same people in identical poses for a new photograph. The two pictures side by side show the physical trace of time, the loss of "revolutionary idealism," and in some instances, the absence of former friends and relatives.
In this work, They No. 7, Three Sisters, Hai Bo has paired a formal black and white portrait of three young women taken in the 1970s with a contemporary version, in which one of the women is missing. The juxtaposition of the two portraits forces one to contemplate the changes that have taken place in people and society, and the more general themes of time, memory, and mortality.
Artwork Details
- Title: They No. 7, Three Sisters
- Artist: Hai Bo (Chinese, born Changchun, 1962)
- Date: 2000
- Medium: Chromogenic prints
- Dimensions: Image (Left): 63 x 89.9 cm (24 13/16 x 35 3/8 in.)
Image (Right): 63 x 89.9 cm (24 13/16 x 35 3/8 in.) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Gift of Cynthia Hazen Polsky, 2019
- Object Number: 2019.302.3a, b
- Rights and Reproduction: © Hai Bo
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Hai Bo
2005
Hai Bo
2001–2003
Hai Bo
2001–2003
Hai Bo
2001–2003
Hai Bo
2001–2003
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.