Over the past few years, I Am with Me has been growing slowly.
It starts with meeting strangers,
in their own spaces, through time, through the body, and through trust.
Little by little, it has become a way of thinking about connection.
在过去几年里，摄影项目《我与我同在》一直以一种缓慢而持续的方式生长着。
它从一次次与陌生人的相遇开始，
在他们的空间里展开，通过身体、时间与信任，一点一点构建起一种关于“连接”的实践。
It’s a photography project,
but also a process of getting closer to others and to myself.
这既是一项摄影计划，也是一段不断逼近他人与自我的过程。
This conversation with Alasdair Foster is the most in-depth reflection on the work so far.
It looks back at how the first phase began, and also where it’s shifting now,
from a more restrained way of observing to something more open, more relational, and less controlled.
这篇深度访谈由策展人、写作者 Alasdair Foster 撰写，是迄今为止对《我与我同在》最为系统和深入的一次梳理。
它不仅回顾了项目第一阶段的生成背景与工作方法，也呈现了第二阶段正在发生的转变：从相对克制的观察，走向更为包容与不可控的关系实践。
Reading it, I can see how the work has been shaped by real situations,
and how each encounter has changed the way I think about
distance, trust, and what it means to be real.
在这些叙述之中，可以看到一个创作如何在现实处境中被推动，
也能看到我如何在一次次具体的相遇中，重新理解“距离”“信任”与“真实”。
For me, this is a mid-way sanity check for my creative path:
seeing myself in others.
对我而言，这不仅是一次关于作品的回顾，更是一种阶段性的确认：
在他人之中，看见自己。
There is no tradition of the nude in Chinese art. Confucian values did not include the human body. In the west, traditions pull in two directions: the idealized nudes of ancient Greece were the embodiment of national pride, while in the Judeo-Christian tradition the naked body was associated with the sinfulness of sexual immorality. In contrast, the principal focus of Confucian ethics concerns the proper forms of human conduct and relationship. There is little emphasis on physicality or how one looks, but much on how one behaves. Upon humaneness, restraint, loyalty, and filial piety in the pursuit of social harmony. Compared to these high ideals, imagery of the naked body was simply considered vulgar.
中国艺术中并不存在裸体传统。儒家价值观并不关注人体本身。在西方，裸体传统则呈现出两种不同的方向：古希腊的理想化裸体象征着民族自豪感，而在犹太—基督教传统中，裸露的身体则常与性道德的罪性相联系。相比之下，儒家伦理的核心在于规范人与人之间的行为与关系。它较少关注身体或外貌，而更强调一个人的行为方式——仁爱、克制、忠诚与孝道，这些都是追求社会和谐的重要品质。在这样的价值体系中，裸体图像自然被视为低俗之物。
In recent decades, globalization and the internet have seen an expanding range of art practices in China and the nude is no longer the taboo it once was. But neither is it simply an extension of the symbolic associations of the western genre… as demonstrated in the artistic practice of the Chengdu-based artist Li Aixiao. Much of her work has involved the unclothed body, but the emphasis is less on erotic beauty than on the aesthetics of human interconnectedness. Of the importance of trust, empathic sensitivity, and what is means to be authentically oneself.
近几十年来，随着全球化和互联网的发展，中国的艺术实践不断拓展，裸体也不再是曾经的禁忌。但它也并非简单延续西方艺术中的象征意义，这一点在成都艺术家李艾筱的创作中得到了清晰体现。在她的许多作品中，身体的裸露反复出现，但重点并不在于情色之美，而在于人与人之间的连接之美——信任、共情，以及“如何成为真实的自己”。
In the work we will explore here, this quest for visual connectedness is set in poignant counterpoint with the enforced isolation of pandemic lockdown. “I felt suffocated by being closed in and by the dragging sense of time,” Li Aixiao told me. “I wanted to escape my confinement and reliance on online communication — to connect with people in the real world.”
在本文所讨论的这组作品中，这种对连接的追寻，与疫情封控期间被迫隔离的现实形成了动人的对照。“长时间被困在封闭空间里，让我感到窒息，时间仿佛被无限拉长。”李艾筱告诉我，“我渴望逃离这种状态，摆脱对线上沟通的依赖，与现实中的人重新建立联系。”
In her earlier work, people had come to her studio to be photographed. But on reflection she realized that this must be challenging: to enter an unfamiliar environment, relax one’s guard, and take off one’s clothes while she remained safely behind the camera. “It was time for me to leave behind the comfort of making photographs in my familiar way.”
在此前的创作中，人们会来到她的工作室接受拍摄。但她逐渐意识到，这对参与者而言并不容易：进入一个陌生空间、放下防备、脱去衣物，而摄影师却始终处在镜头背后的安全位置。“是时候离开我熟悉的创作方式了。”
So, she began a project that would include herself, created not in the studio but in the personal spaces of strangers she met through an open call on WeChat. Most of these photographs were made in the participant’s home, although some chose an alternative location where they would not be disturbed.
于是，她开始了一个新的项目：她将自己纳入作品之中，不再在工作室拍摄，而是走进陌生人的私人空间。这些参与者通过公众号公开招募而来。大多数拍摄在他们的家中完成，也有人选择更隐私、不受打扰的地点。
The process was slow and gentle. They began by chatting and doing everyday things together. A tacit understanding was established that each would keep the other safe and, in the process, a sense of interconnection. When the participant felt ready, they removed their clothes and Li Aixiao put them on. “There was a sense of intimacy as soon as I did this. I could smell the scent of their skin, feel the warmth left by their body, which all helped me imagine becoming them. In turn, they found it fascinating to see me wearing their clothes.”
整个过程缓慢而温和。他们先聊天，一起做一些日常的事情。在一种默契中，彼此确认对方是安全的，也逐渐建立起连接感。当参与者准备好之后，他们脱下衣服，而李艾筱则穿上这些衣物。“当我穿上他们的衣服时，一种亲密感立即产生。我能闻到他们皮肤留下的气息，感受到身体的余温，这些都帮助我去想象‘成为他们’。而他们也会觉得很有趣，看我穿着他们的衣服。”
The result was a new series called “I Am with Me”.
这一系列作品被命名为《我与我同在》。
While the outcome is a photograph, it is not so much what is shown as the way in which it is created that invests these images with their restrained intimacy. Here, the desire to connect has come to enfold the artist herself within the artwork. She enters the frame, not simply appearing in the image, but inhabiting the role of complementary other — both mirror and twin. An intimacy that seeks that deeper sensibility which flourishes when one opens to the idiosyncrasies of another individual and finds within them the roots of a common humanity.
虽然最终呈现的是摄影作品，但真正赋予这些影像克制而深沉亲密感的，并不仅仅是画面本身，而是其生成的过程。艺术家将自己纳入作品之中，不只是出现在画面里，而是成为“他者”的一种映照与对应——既是镜像，也是双生。这种亲密，指向一种更深层的感知：当一个人向他人的独特性敞开时，在其中发现共同的人性根基。
Li Aixiao told me how profound she had found the making of this series during the epidemic. “I came to feel what it was like to experience unfamiliar environments, different lives. At the same time, the more isolated we became through the rules of social distancing, the more we longed to embrace each other, however difficult that may be. I wanted these images to suggest kindness and trust between people.”
李艾筱谈到，在疫情期间创作这一系列，对她来说是一种深刻的体验。“我开始体会陌生环境、不同人生的感受。同时，社交距离让我们彼此隔离，却也让我们更渴望拥抱彼此，哪怕这很困难。我希望这些影像能够传达人与人之间的善意与信任。”
Nudity plays an important role in this, but not in a conventional way. It is not sexuality that she wishes to explore. “For me,” she explains, “nudity signifies the unique authenticity of each human being. We are born naked. The clothes, the jewelry, all the adornments with which we beautify ourselves, are also a form of camouflage. If you wear different clothes, you can appear to be a different person. Taking off all one’s clothes is not just about undressing, it is a process of removing the camouflage, letting down one’s defenses, revealing oneself not just physically but psychologically.”
在这里，裸体扮演着重要角色，但其意义并不传统。她强调，这并非关于性。“对我来说，裸体意味着每个人独一无二的真实。我们出生时是赤裸的，而衣服、首饰，以及各种装饰，其实也是一种伪装。不同的穿着，可以让人看起来像另一个人。脱去衣物，不只是身体上的裸露，更是卸下伪装、放下防御，不仅是身体的，也包括心理的。”
She went on to explain that most of the people she photographs begin by trying to look “indestructible”. But there is always a private part that, “like the soft belly of a hedgehog, few can reach.” She goes on, “in my experience, photography is the perfect medium to encourage an unfiltered interaction between people in a way that truly reflects our deepest feelings and authentic personalities.” Nevertheless, the presence of nudity in her work has meant she has few opportunities to exhibit in her home country, while her international reputation continues to grow.
她进一步解释，大多数被拍摄者一开始都会试图表现出“坚不可摧”的状态，但每个人内心都有一个柔软的部分，“就像刺猬的肚子，很少有人能够触及。”她说：“在我的经验中，摄影是一种非常理想的媒介，它能够促成人与人之间未经修饰的互动，真实地呈现我们最深层的情感与个性。”不过，由于作品中的裸体元素，她在国内的展览机会依然有限，而她在国际上的声誉却持续增长。
In 2022 Li Aixiao brought this first phase of the series to a close. She felt she needed a break to recharge, time for careful editing and reflection. She came to realize that while she had entered each participant’s private space and taken a step closer across the social divide, a certain distance remained between them. She began to consider how she might challenge the assumptions implicit within her mode of working.
2022年，李艾筱结束了这一系列的第一阶段。她决定暂时停下来，进行整理与反思。在回顾中，她意识到：尽管自己进入了他人的私人空间，也跨越了一部分社会距离，但两者之间仍然存在某种隔阂。她开始思考，如何挑战自己既有的创作方式。
“I realized that I had this persistent belief that to be an ‘ethical’ artist I must maintain a degree of emotional restraint. In the first phase, I often positioned myself as a respectful observer who entered their space briefly and then withdrew. While this approach felt safe, I began to see that it also protected me; it allowed me to avoid a degree of vulnerability that might feel overwhelming. But, in doing so I was limiting the depth of the encounter.”
“我逐渐意识到，我一直认为，一个‘有伦理的’艺术家应该保持某种情感上的克制。在第一阶段，我常常把自己放在一个‘尊重的观察者’位置：短暂进入，然后离开。这种方式让我感到安全，但它其实也在保护我，让我避免面对可能令人不安的脆弱。但与此同时，它也限制了关系的深度。”
Confronting this assumption proved uncomfortable at first. But she came to realize that distance can be as much a shield as a duty of care. “Practically, this meant allowing myself to stay longer, to share more of my own uncertainty, and to accept moments of emotional imbalance rather than smoothing them over.” And, while the work became more emotionally demanding it also felt more honest. “I no longer felt that I was simply ‘taking’ an image; instead, I was participating in a situation whose outcome I could not fully control.”
直面这一点并不容易。但她逐渐明白：距离既可能是责任，也可能是一种防御。“在实践上，这意味着我开始停留更久，分享更多自己的不确定，也允许情绪的不平衡存在，而不是急于修复它们。”她说。虽然过程变得更加消耗情感，但也更真实。“我不再只是‘获取’一张影像，而是在参与一个我无法完全控制结果的情境。”
She began the second phase of “I Am with Me” in 2025. The making of the earlier work had followed a consistent rhythm: arrive, talk, photograph, leave. In this new phase, she deliberately disrupted that habit. Conversations were allowed to unfold without a photographic telos, often spreading over several meetings before the camera was used. Making the work began to feel less like implementing a method and more akin to negotiating a relationship.
2025年，她开启了《我与我同在》的第二阶段。在第一阶段中，她的工作流程相对固定：到达、交谈、拍摄、离开。而在新阶段，她刻意打破这一节奏。对话可以在没有拍摄目的的情况下展开，甚至跨越多次见面之后才使用相机。创作过程不再像执行一套方法，而更像是在协商一段关系。
As the project developed in the post-pandemic period, responses to her WeChat open call arrived from far beyond her home city of Chengdu. She was surprised by how widely news of the project circulated and by the number of people who wanted to take part. Indeed, some people in other parts of China had applied when she was unable to travel due to the Covid lockdown, but they continued to stay in touch by email, their enthusiasm for the project undiminished.
随着疫情后的推进，她通过微信发布的招募信息吸引了来自中国各地的参与者。许多人在封控期间就已报名，尽管当时无法见面，但仍通过邮件保持联系，热情不减。
As a result, her travel itinerary was not pre-planned but crisscrossed China in response to those who chose to step forward. In each case contact was initiated by the potential participant. There was consequently a degree of self-selection, intention, and reflection before they met. In a few cases participants connected through personal recommendation, where someone who had already taken part might suggest this to a friend. However, she never sets out to actively recruit people around her. In fact, she prefers strangers. “This project does not work well with people I already know; the encounters are a form of mutual discovery.”
因此，她的行程并非预先规划，而是根据这些主动联系她的人不断调整，穿行于不同城市之间。参与始终基于自发选择，这意味着每一次见面之前，都已经包含了思考与决心。在少数情况下，参与者会通过朋友介绍而来。但她从不主动招募身边的人。事实上，她更倾向于陌生人。“这个项目不太适合我已经认识的人。每一次相遇，本质上都是一次相互发现。”
Li Aixiao is careful to ensure that she never asks participants to do anything that makes them uncomfortable. “If I feel that a participant is not yet ready for the photograph, I absolutely will not take out my camera.” Consequently, participants retain their sense of autonomy and agency, with decisions continuously negotiated rather than assumed. This is important to the work itself, as she explains: “I believe that those who choose to take part do so after careful consideration, and that this deliberateness forms an essential foundation for the trust and openness the artmaking depends on.”
李艾筱非常谨慎，从不要求参与者做任何让他们不适的事情。“如果我感觉对方还没有准备好，我绝不会拿出相机。”因此，参与者始终保有自主性与决定权，所有决定都在不断协商中形成。她认为，这一点对于作品本身至关重要：“我相信，参与者都是经过认真考虑才决定加入的，而这种审慎正是建立信任与开放的基础。”
This second phase has provided Li Aixiao with an opportunity to confront her own assumptions and habitual ways of working. Carefully, she has been closing the emotional and physical distance between herself and the participants. “This has required trust and negotiation on both sides,” she tells me. “It has been challenging for everyone involved but, with care and mutual respect, the process has so far been sustained.”
在第二阶段中，她逐步缩短了与参与者之间的情感与身体距离。这一过程需要双方的信任与协商。“对每个人来说都不容易，但在谨慎与尊重之下，这一过程得以持续。”
For Li Aixiao, “I Am with Me” has had a considerable impact on both in her professional life and her personal growth. “I’m so grateful that people have put their trust in me. I have witnessed hundreds of different ways of living, of experiencing life. Each is like a mirror in which I can reflect upon myself in a new context. And, through it, I have come to realize just how meaningful photography is to me and to those I photograph.”
对于李艾筱而言，《我与我同在》不仅影响了她的职业发展，也深刻改变了她个人的成长。“我非常感激这些人对我的信任。我看到了数百种不同的生活方式与人生经验。每一种都像一面镜子，让我在不同的语境中重新认识自己。也正是在这个过程中，我更加清楚地意识到，摄影对我，以及对被我拍摄的人来说，有多么重要。”
. . .
Dr. Alasdair Foster is a writer, award-winning curator, and publisher of Talking Pictures. [https://talking-pictures.online] He has twenty years’ experience heading national arts institutions in Europe and Australia and over thirty-five years of working in the public cultural sector.
阿拉斯代尔·福斯特博士（Dr. Alasdair Foster）是一位作家、屡获殊荣的策展人，也是Talking Pictures的出版人。他在欧洲和澳大利亚的艺术机构拥有20年的领导经验，并在公共文化领域深耕超过35年。
