In the series My Mum, photographer Ren Hang offers an unconventional portrait of his mother, challenging traditional representations of familial identity and aging through playful and vividly staged imagery. Created around 2014, the project extends Hang's established focus on provocative depictions of the human body to include his mother as a subject.
Motivated by a personal urgency to photograph his mother as she aged, Ren Hang approached My Mum with humor and affectionate irony, utilizing his distinctive style to portray her in surreal poses, accompanied by unconventional props such as ducks, unprocessed pork, and bubble-filled bathtubs. The series portrays his mother's unidealized physical features—relaxed skin and a tired expression—as essential elements within the staged scenes. Hang’s approach reflects his ongoing fascination with the human body and its objectification within everyday contexts, extended here to the portrayal of his mother.
Aesthetically, the series is characterized by bold, saturated colors and stark, direct flash lighting. The technical methodology, involving the use of a simple, consumer-level film camera, allowed Hang to work freely and quickly, introducing a raw aesthetic that complemented the deliberately constructed scenes. Although carefully orchestrated, the compositions appear almost incidental, with his mother positioned squarely in the middle as if targeted, creating scenes that swing between playful absurdity and quiet reflection.
My Mum garnered attention for its unique intersection of personal narrative, artistic experimentation, and subtle social commentary, further establishing Ren Hang's influential yet complex position within contemporary photography.
