The Monuments

The series entitled The Monuments presents the object, as in so much of Feng Yan’s work, purely as a physical thing. Yet these photos of objects, despite their rejection of idealization, derive a staying power based upon the elevation of detail within each one that is represented, demonstrating striking imagination on Feng Yan’s part. By emphasizing the object’s particular details, the artist focuses on the visual beauty found in their manufacture; it moves the viewer from its objective origins to a more expressive, beautiful image.

—Jonathan Goodman