Photographer Series #14: reashotkatemoss

Rea Chen is a graduate from The China Academy of Art where she majored in printmaking. She recently moved to New York where she is undertaking her MFA at Parsons The New School.

Some of Rea's kites in her studio

While visiting Parsons we found her studio walls inundated with kites and knew she was a natural fit for ishotkatemoss. 

Each kite had a recognizable image (including the Queen, an Oscar statuette, Steve Jobs, Audrey Hepburn, Stephen Hawking, The Beatles etc.) wrapped around a bamboo frame, with beautiful ribbons adorning the sides and tail.

Rea descrices her art as "doubting the function and the formats of icons and finding the real value beyond the idol as symbol". She explores these themes by critiquing the extreme conditions in which iconography is found, while also trying to create balance in the possibilities of viewing such symbols.

iskm: Can you explain your project?

Rea Chen (RC): There are two backgrounds to the kite project. The first is a reference to the Basant Kite Festival, which has recently been abandoned in Pakistan. A potential reason for the cancellation is due to extreme Muslims not allowing the Festival to take place. I see this situation as so- called "extreme aniconism". The other reference is the Reenaction of Crucifixion in the Philippines and Mexico. At these reenactions many disciples experience a real crucifixion on every Good Friday. They have, in theory, a similar experience of Jesus, but they will get off from the cross at a point in the process and then repeat the action again next year. I describe it as "extreme idolism".

My hope is to reorganize the Basant Kite Festival, but in New York with uniquely constructed kites.

iskm: How do you build the kites? 
RC: I choose to build the kites using the core structure of a diamond kite, which has a cross beneath the kite paper, as its making process is similar to that of a crucifix. I use light materials to build the kites: bamboo sticks to build the structure, and I print the images onto rice paper. I affix the images onto the cross then I use a needle to stick through the left and right angles of the paper, let the string cross the two holes and make the spar bow. This process reminds me of the hanging and nailing of Jesus onto the cross. To complete the kite, I add the ribbons and lastly, I tie the string to be held when flying the kite.

 

iskm: Why do you select the images you do to put on the kites?

RC: I choose images of all kinds of western idols from Google searches. In the US, beliefs coexist and people can believe whatever they want. People should have the freedom to choose their beliefs. I feel that building the modern idols into kites and then letting people fly them is like worshiping and controlling some beliefs to critique the "extreme aniconism". However, I foresee the kites will fall down, get entangled and the images will be broken and the structures will be damaged. This part is to doubt the real function of idols, and critique the "extreme idolism".

iskm: After discovering the iskm project, Rea constructed a kate kite and photographed its flight:

iskm: Why did you select the source kate image that you did?

A cropped version of Rheims' photograph

RC: I chose a topless photo of Kate used in a worldwide ad campaign, which was taken when she was 16, by the French photographer Bettina Rheims*. Bettina has said that she shoots for the famous female superstars, to give them what they want. However, for an unconfident young girl, I question the validity of this and would expect that the girl would have a great deal of fear. After investigating, I found that Kate said she was pressured into showing her nude body, 'I'd lock myself in the toilet and cry'. She indicated that after this, her first nude shoot, she experienced a long 'nervous breakdown' and she cried for years and years. I felt that this is the real crucifixion of her, the mass show of her on all fashion media. She has to be hung on the cross, to face watching eyes with complex emotions. Kate became the world’s supermodel not only on her own, but also through a series of social selections - by others who control the kite string, to make her fly high or fall down. Even though she said she regretted doing the 1992 photo shoot that helped skyrocket her to fame, she became resigned and said 'I didn't like it, but it was work, and I had to do it'. There appeared to be a lack of anyone providing support or mental care and I can feel something through her eyes as if to say ‘To be or not to be?’.

iskm: Is there any reason the ribbon is red for kate?

RC: I use black ribbon for all, but for Jesus I utilized red ribbon, as the symbol of blood. I also used the red for Kate as I think she was crucified by the photographer and sanctified in the fashion industry.

iskm: Where did you fly the kite? Did you choose the locations for any special reason?

RC: I flew the kite along Fifth Ave; from the Parsons school, famous for its fashion major, down 5th Ave past the retail stores, to Central Park - where it finally became entangled by the tree branches. It meant flying the kite from the starting point of learning, through the fashion commerce and ultimately to the central destination of New York, the world’s hub for arts and entertainment.

 

iskm: How did people react?

RC: It was a little difficult to fly on NY streets because of the crowded conditions. Also, sometimes the kite string was entangled with pedestrians, which was a little bit dangerous. Some people took shots of it, and one policeman came to me. I thought I was in trouble but he appreciated that it was a lovely kite and it flew so well! He also asked who was on it, and I replied that it was Kate Moss and he let me continue. Many people looked up at the kite while I was walking, especially children.

 

iskm: Want happened to the kite? Did you leave it entangled in the trees?
RC: It was entangled on the branch in a very high place, I could do nothing but cut the string. I’m not sure how it is now, maybe it’s still there washed by the rain and snow, or it has fallen down and been swept away.
 

iskm: Do you intend to fly all of the kites together? If so, when?

RC: I’m still working on organizing the kite festival here in NY, but the date has not been decided as yet. It will depend on the weather, so more than likely we will need to wait for the spring.

iskm: Which photographer/s or artist/s would you most want to most see involved in ishotkatemoss? Why?

RC: I’d love to have seen Frida Kahlo interpret this project, because her own life was a beautiful appearance with strong torment inside, playing her role. In a strange way, I feel that there’s so much in common between the representations of both Frida and Kate.

iskm: A brief note that Rea returned to China over the winter break and we had great difficulty conducting portions of this interview as her email account was blocked. She commented during the process:

RC: Sorry for the block of instagram, facebook and google. I really feel helpless without the ability to be in contact with my friends.

It was a stark reminder, especially in the wake of our recent commentary on freedom of expression, that censorship often limits our ability to create an open, creative and positive dialogue.

If you are interested in learning more about the festival or even assisting Rea, she can be found on Facebook or via instagram where her handle is “chenhuiji”.

And, only as we will never have the chance to ever say this again: reashotkitemoss!

Observe. Slow Down. Fly. Shoot. Submit.

www.ishotkatemoss.com

* This image is not readily available on the internet as it breaches the code of conduct of many sites, due to the fact that it shows an underage girl naked. iskm has chosen to display the image cropped. We wholeheartedly support Rea Chen's use of the photograph within her artistic process due to the fact that she is specifically commenting on the way the image had been taken, promoted and used. However, we endorse censorship of images that depict and/or promote the sexual exploitation of children.