当现实的库尔德问题和历史上的亚美尼亚问题再度使土耳其成为国际新闻热点时,尔冬强推出的这个摄影展却将我们的目光带往历史的纵深处。
站在先后被称之为拜占庭、君士坦丁堡和伊斯坦布尔的欧亚交汇点,摄影家向我们展示了:圣索菲亚大教堂的雄伟;塞利米耶清真寺的宏大；苏丹艾哈迈德清真寺的壮观;埃及香料市场的迷人;托普卡帕皇宫的华丽以及今日土耳其人民激情洋溢的精神面貌,通过这些极具感染力的画面,我们看到了来自古老的拜占庭、东罗马帝国、奥斯曼帝国各个时期丰沛壮丽的历史文化遗存和当代土耳其人的生命活力。
尔冬强的丝绸之路视觉文献摄影计划始于2000年,七年来他反反复复深入中国西域以及蒙古共和国、伊朗、土耳其等国家和地区进行采访拍摄,参与了玄奘之路、中美蒙联合考察等项目,并已推出部份专题摄影展览。尔冬强以踏遍丝绸之路和欧亚草原的雄心,计划在15年内完成沿线各国的田野摄影考察,并将各个历史时期散落的文化遗产尽收画中,出版一套完整的有关丝绸之路的视觉文献。
在几千年的中国历史里,作过世界性精神游走的,只有玄奘、张骞、郑和等为数不多的先辈们。随着世界现代考古学的兴起,在过去的100年里,世界舞台上几乎见不到中国人的身影,在斯文赫定、斯坦因、伯希和的年代,丝绸之路上中国人只能充当挑夫、伙夫和向导。今天我们终于有机会、有实力,带着器材、驾着吉普车自由驰骋在欧亚广袤的草原上,这是历史给予我们的机会。眼下,尔冬强又将整装待发,下一站的目的地是布里亚特共和国、图瓦共和国、环贝加尔湖历史遗存的摄影考察和俄罗斯阿尔泰地区的考古摄影,作为身体里流淌着北方少数民族血液、并具有独立身份的自由艺术家尔冬强告诉记者:回到欧亚草原,就像是回到了自己精神的故乡,千百年来散落在草原上的遍地遗珍,是他拍摄不尽的历史画面。他将把寻觅人类历史的精神遗产作为自己后半生的唯一追求。

来源:东方网

"Seeing Turkey", a photography exhibition that marks the latest achievement of Deke Erh's research on the Silk Road, will open at his Art Center on Nov. 6, 2007.

When such issues as Kurdish refugees in Turkey and the historical Armenian Genocide are made headlines of international news, Deke’s photographs seek to steer our gaze to a different direction.

In the city of Istanbul, historically Byzantium and later Constantinople, the photographer has captured the imposing St. Sofia Cathedral, the monumental Mosque of Selimiye, the great Masjidal—Sultanahmad, the enchanting Egyptian spicery market, the sumptuous Topkap? Palace, and the contemporary life of the Turkish people. Through these images, we are exposed to the impressive historical heritage from the Byzantine, Eastern Romanesque, and the Ottoman Empire and the vitality of the contemporary Turkish public.

Since his "Silk Road Project" started in year 2000, Deke Erh has toured extensively to China's western provinces, Mongolia, Iran and Turkey. He has also participated in several relevant research programs, those of the epic journey of the legendary Buddhist Xuan Zang and an international research on Mongolia, both revealed in his photography exhibitions. He has decided to visit all the countries along the famed Silk Road, and to make a comprehensive visual record of the historical heritage from different eras.

Historically only a few trailblazers have left their footprints on the journey to the West, Xuan Zang, Zhang Qian and Zheng He, yet very few Chinese were recorded in the exploration in the past century. When Sven Hedin, Mark Auriel Stein, and Paul Pelliot were celebrated for their explorations in the East, the Chinese were playing insignificant roles as porters and guides. Yet today we finally have the chance to speed through the wild plains of Central Asia in jeeps, and to fulfil our mission to take photographs along the Silk Road. Now Deke is embarking on his journey to Buryat, Tuvas, and Baykal Lake. As a descendent of a northern ethnic group and an independent artist, Deke recognizes the plains his spiritual resort. He will capture the century-old relics and sights in his photos and continue his devotion to the research of world heritage, the sole mission of the rest of his life.