Liu Ziqian’s simple, elegant, slightly surreal photographs are no ordinary self-portraits. They show more of her long limbs than of her face, and they often center on fruits, mirrors, or flowers. Yet she remains the subject, not only in a physical but in an emotional sense: her photographs began as a way to explore herself and cope with loneliness in the wake of a breakup.
Out of all the creative outlets that she could have pursued, Liu decided on photography because she found that it was the most therapeutic. Soul-searching came in the click of a shutter. Photography also served as a visual diary, where different moments of her appearance are recorded in pictures.
“What I love most about photography is that it can be a very quiet and profound companion for me,” she says. “It helps me not just to record different moments, but also to convey my inner voice. In the process of photography, I can find answers to many internal questions.”
刘子千镜头下简约、优雅、略显超现实的照片，其实并非一般的肖像照——它们更多的是展示她修长的四肢，而不是脸，也常常以水果、镜子或花朵为中心。然而，她自己仍是主题——不仅是身体，在情感上，她的照片也开启了一种方法，去探索自己、去应付分手后的孤独。
在她本可选择的所有创意媒介中，刘子千决定走上摄影这条路，是因为她发现摄影最为治愈。只消轻轻一按快门，灵魂展露无疑。那些照片也可以作为她的视觉日记，在那里，不同时刻她的形象被记录在照片上。
“我最喜欢摄影的一点是，它可以成为我一个非常安静且深刻的伴侣，”她说，“它不但能帮我记录不同的时刻，而且还替我传达了我的心声。在拍摄的过程中，它亦帮助我找到了许多内部问题的答案。”
Liu’s series of portraits may be serene, but they are far from dull. “I hope to give the audience a small world that’s calm but not flat,” she says about her works. Though each portrait has a demure and delicate quality, she still aims to subtly channel women’s inner strength. At times Liu finds herself plagued by restlessness and bouts of insecurity. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, though, she takes control of these feelings, composing photographs whose meticulous balance seems to convey an emotional state.
刘子千一系列的肖像照也许显得很淡然，但她们并不单调。“我希望给观众一个平静但不平淡的小世界。”她这样评价自己的作品。尽管每张照片都流露出端庄细腻之感，但她仍然试图巧妙地引导女性内在的力量。刘子千时不时会发现自己为焦躁和不安感所困扰，她不再顾影自怜，而是去控制这些情感，通过拍摄照片，以微妙的平衡去传达了一种情感状态。
Forget about avant-garde theatrics and elaborate props—Liu uses simple, everyday objects. Round mirrors, fruits and flowers, even eggs serve as her co-stars in the portraits. They help shape the two main themes of her works. First, a balance between human beings and nature. Liu believes that humans are part of the natural world, as we live in the same space and breathe the same air. “I try to find a state of harmony between humans and nature in my works, one that is full of peace and emotion.”
The second theme centers on perspective. As we get overly familiar with the simple objects we use everyday, we no longer really see them in a unique light. Liu encourages the viewer to look at familiar things from different angles by changing the appearance of her props, such as using sliced lemons instead of the whole fruit. “This is not only about things,” she clarifies, pointing to a larger meaning. “It’s also about understanding others and our hearts.”
忘掉那些浮夸的动作和复杂的道具吧，刘子千的照片里用的是再普通不过的日用品——圆镜、水果和鲜花，甚至鸡蛋也可以入镜。它们帮助塑造了她作品的两大主题。第一，是人与自然的平衡。刘子千认为人是自然界的一部分，因为我们生活在同一个空间里，呼吸着同样的空气。“我试图在我的作品中找到一种人与自然和谐的状态，一种充满和平与情感的状态。”
第二个主题，是以独特的视角为中心。当我们对每天使用的物什过于熟悉的时候，也就不再会以独特的视角来看待它们。刘子千鼓励观众从不同角度观察熟悉的事物，改变它们的外观，比如用柠檬片代替整颗柠檬。“这不仅仅关于小物价本身，”她正言道，指出了一个更大的含义，“这也关乎理解他人和我们的心之所想。”
Minimalism is one of the most popular styles of photography on Instagram, perhaps because viewers seek peace in an otherwise chaotic world. Almost without meaning to, Liu has beautifully harnessed this aesthetic in her photos. “I do not have a very clear expectation of style. Everything is completely based on feelings and is always in the state of semi-fumbling, semi-learning. But I want to keep it minimalist. Minimalism is a reminder for me to stay pure inside and try not to be too distracted by the noise.”
She discovered her style through constant arrangement and experimentation while shooting and processing her photos. She aims to find the combination that makes her feel most comfortable and “quiet.” Avoiding repetition, or trying to maintain her style while still pushing boundaries, sometimes proves to be a challenge, but she presses on. “I want to think more and observe more to get more inspiration,” she says.
也许是因为观众想在这个混乱的世界里寻求安宁，让极简主义变成 Instagram 上最流行的摄影风格之一。刘子千在她的照片中完美地利用了这种美学：几乎全无刻意。“我对风格没有很明确的期望。一切都完全建立在感情的基础上，总是处于半摸索、半学习的状态。但我想保持它极简主义。极简主义提醒我要保持内心的澄澈，不要被噪音干扰。”
刘子千是在拍摄和处理照片时，通过不断的排列和实验发现了自己的风格。她的目标是找到让她感觉最舒服和“安静”的组合。有时候在持续突破界限的路上，需要避免重复、保持个人风格，会被列为一种挑战，但刘子千很坚持。“我想多思考，多观察，以获得更多的灵感。”她说。
Speaking of inspiration, Liu finds her muse in her own growth. “Sometimes I look at my earlier pictures on Instagram. The pictures were obviously not mature, but I can see my growth process over time. So I wonder how far I’ll go in photography, and whether this curiosity about the unknown and the visible will inspire me to become a photographer.”
Liu’s success is also a testimonial to the power of social media. Despite taking photos for only two years, and having held only two public exhibitions, she reaches an international audience, with close to 100,000 followers.
“I had never really thought about this before, but I really appreciate the viewers liking my work. All I can do now is try to respond to all the people who have left comments and move on to shoot more works. I have no future plans at the moment—I’ll let things take their course.”
说到灵感，刘子千发现这来自于她自己的成长。“有时我在 Instagram 上看我以前的照片，那时拍得显然还不成熟，但日积月累，我可以看到我的成长过程。所以我想知道我在摄影方面能走多远，这种对未知和可见事物的好奇心是否会激励我成为一名摄影师。”
刘子千的成功也证明了社交媒体的力量。尽管她只拍了两年，只举办了两次公共展览，但她的全球粉丝人数却接近 10 万人。“我以前从来没有认真想过这个问题，但是我真的很感激观众喜欢我的作品。我现在能做的就是对所有留下评论的人做出回应，然后继续拍摄更多的作品。目前我还没有未来的计划——听其自然吧。”
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Instagram: @ziqianqian
Contributor: Joanna Lee
Chinese Translation: Chen Yuan
