Red Illuminates
Jialin Long
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Red Illuminates explores the concept of culture in socialist countries and how loyalty to the state is cultivated. The catalyst for the project was found in a residential area of Beijing where Special Criminal Syndicate Combat propaganda posters displayed, on average, every 40 meters. These are presented alongside large-format portraits of so-called young pioneers emulating Mao Zedong’s portrait in Tiananmen Square. A white orchid blooming under artificial grow lights, a still from a video work, is listening to socialist propaganda from CCTV (China’s official news channel) continuously for 30 days. With this video, Long asks the question, “could this conditioning eventually turn a white orchid red?”. These symbolic references provide a framework to examine the power dynamics of state-generated loyalty in China.
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Jialin Long (b. 1983) is a lens-based artist was born in Beijing, China and based outside Dublin, Ireland. Her photographic practice focuses on issues in contemporary culture, uses new presentations strategies to explore social and political issues in an attempt to formulate alternative statements and positions.
In 2020 she graduated with a first-class honors degree in photography from the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT), winning many awards with her graduation project Red Illuminates, which has been exhibited and published with many photography institutions throughout Ireland, Europe, the UK, and Canada.
Long holds an ME in Electronic Engineering and previously worked as an engineer before turning her interest to photography. These experiences influenced her view on understanding the world. She sees the world logic and abstract simultaneously, which formed the base of her visual practice. Long is currently working on a commission for Dublin City Council around the theme of diversity, challenging stereotyped views of the Chinese community in Ireland, and named in The Irish Times’ 50 people to watch in 2021: The best young talent in Ireland.