FREE LOVE CHRONICLES

Lin Zhipeng (aka No.223) was born in Guangdong, China, in 1979, where he graduated from the University of Foreign Studies with a major in financial English. He then pursued a career as a freelance photographer and writer based in Beijing, where he currently resides. In 2003, he created his blog “North Latitude 23,” where he published photos accompanied by brief texts daily, akin to an intimate diary, which quickly brought him fame within the online community. His pseudonym, No. 223, is taken from the name of the love-struck policeman in Chungking Express, a film by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai.

Lin Zhipeng's work is notable for capturing the spirit of China’s alternative youth from the post-1980s and 1990s generations. Through a kind of photographic diary in which he spontaneously captures young people caught between sweet melancholy and liberated sexuality, Zhipeng tells a collective story that also reflects his personal life and growth. The title Free Love Chronicles reflects his desire to capture this new generation, one that wants to love and express itself, day by day, through a visual narrative deeply connected to Zhipeng's own artistic philosophy. In these images, we also find his ideas about life, his memories, gestures, emotions, and thoughts.

The artist celebrates vitality through his subjects, often friends and acquaintances with whom he shares a close connection beyond the frame. Lin Zhipeng’s works are filled with a tender sense of lightness and playful innocence, expressing a natural and free lifestyle built on an understanding of love and freedom.

(Text by Rebecca Delemenico)