Facekini

In 2014, Peng Yangjun photographed middle-aged and elderly women wearing facekinis on the beaches of Qingdao, compiling these into the book "Facekini (Paperback Edition)". Like a beach fashion show, the images capture women confidently posing in their homemade facekinis. Beyond the humor and amusement, the photographs reflect a dramatic and surreal corner of Chinese society; they also attempt to explore how people perceive their aging bodies.

"Most people might find it ludicrous and amusing—of course, a sense of humor is one of the messages I want to convey, but beyond its entertainment value, this series of portraits also explores how people view their bodies. I hope people find these portraits interesting, a surreal, dramatic, and humorous depiction of Chinese individuals, much like the current state of China itself, where the entire society is filled with surreal landscapes; this series of portraits attempts to document these fleeting landscapes.

These masks are essentially handmade by them. They sew and piece together masks using discarded vests, old clothes, old swimsuits, or even old pant fabrics, so you won't find two identical masks on the beach; a single mask often features different materials, and you could even say they are highly artistic. They consider whether the mask matches their swimsuit, or sometimes their entire outfit is custom-made, and the colors are often very vibrant.

In fact, they know others might find it ridiculous or strange. But they explain that its primary function is sun protection, and in recent years, coastal pollution has led to many jellyfish stings, so wearing a facekini makes them less susceptible to stings. There's another layer of meaning: on the beach, young girls don't wear them, men don't wear them; it's mostly middle-aged and elderly women who wear these masks. So I believe another important reason is that these middle-aged and elderly women begin to feel shy about exposing their aging and changing bodies, and wearing a mask makes them feel more at ease and confident. That's why, to this day, I don't know what any of the people I've photographed actually look like." — Peng Yangjun