Page 179 - 《社会》2026年第1期

社会·2026·1

projects and immerse themselves in“living like artists” during short鄄term residencies，
even when livelihood pressures or mobility demands are not the primary motivations.
Within a highly institutionalized career system， the primary occupation of
photographer slash鄄line visual creators provides security and dignity. Yet it also dictates
their daily life through demanding work schedules and relentless performance
expectations. Often photography—a relatively stable hobby—is squeezed into
the fleeting hours after work， leaving them torn and burdened between their
professional responsibilities and creative aspirations. Faced with this situation， they
often embrace the “artist” identity as a source of support. By leveraging the
elevated status mainstream narratives assign to artists and their close association
with creativity， they find a fulcrum for self鄄meaning， repeatedly adjusting their
commitment between institutional dependence and autonomous needs. Thus，
entering visual communities for local creation becomes a crucial way for them to
pursue artistic identity. In terms of interaction dynamics， the visual community is
guided and organized by “artist鄄journalists”， presenting itself as a collaborative
circle that blends public engagement with individual expression while maintaining a
non鄄hierarchical style. This structure allows creators to transform their private
creative persistence into a shared， discussable practice through relatively stable
interactions. Regarding content， this community emphasizes field鄄style documentary
filming of daily life. Through collective organization and interpretation of these
images， it constructs narrative spaces that connect fragmented shooting experiences
into coherent expressive threads， achieving an aesthetic reconstruction of everyday
existence. Entering the exhibition phase， the intervention of the county鄄level public
cultural system and curatorial team provides artists with a path to public recognition
through both offline displays and online dissemination. Repeated public narration
and reevaluation of the works’ value also enable the photographers to achieve self鄄
affirmation of their artistic identity. However， local creation within the visual
community operates on the premise of “short鄄term residencies”， where the
construction of artistic identity often manifests as a phased self鄄narrative. On one
hand， rural photography projects formally distance themselves from urban daily life;
on the other， participants deliberately maintain a state of “both intimate and
distant” relationships. This dynamic makes“living like an artist” easier to stimulate
and affirm within the project itself， yet difficult to seamlessly carry back into the
photographer’s post鄄departure daily lives. Moreover， this phased self鄄narrative is
paradoxically shaped by the temporal constraints of primary occupations and the
logic of capital. The redistribution of time and energy presents an inescapable
practical challenge for nearly all participants. Consequently， some creators do not

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