123 Polaroids

123 Polaroids is not simply a selection of 123 images from 223’s extensive and fabulous collection of Polaroid work, on which he embarked in the early 2000s from Guangzhou, China. It is a deep dive into his intimate memories of dear ones, his inexpensive Polaroid films and his travels across China, Tibet, South East Asia, Japan and Europe. It is a panoply of his love, fashionable nudity, of expressive glaring portraits, of colorful landscapes and people, of embracing bodies in playful melancholy, of eroticism, of a sense of absence and untold more, all fashioned by the touch of the stunning imperfections of this medium and the master’s talent.

223 once told me that labeling or selecting 1, 2 or 3 of his photographs as the best ones would be extremely difficult because each one speaks about a memory, an intimate moment from a period in his life. To those words, I add that the beauty of a photograph is not just the image, with its composition, colors, albedo, and perfection or simplicity –– it is also an entanglement of actual memories, and of the sensations the image can ignite. In that light, 123 Polaroids conveys the intent and breadth of a poet, uniquely giving voice to the intercourse of 223’s intimate souvenirs, ignited sensations and 123 Polaroids.

——Luigi Clavareau

《123 Polaroids》并不是简单地从编号223长达10多年胶片、宝丽来创作生涯中选择的123张图片。2000年初，他从广州开始着手了这个项目。这本书深深地嵌入了他与身边最亲密的家人、朋友们之间的回忆，也有部分穿梭在中国、西藏、东南亚、日本和欧洲的旅途中拍摄的作品。这本书全面地展示了他私人的记忆，包括爱情、身体，富有表现力的肖像，沿途上多彩的风景和偶遇的人。作品中也流露了许多不可言说的俏皮、忧郁和缺席感，这些全都是由宝丽来自身不确定性和艺术家的创作力量所共同塑造的出来的。

编号223曾经告诉我，从他的照片中标出或选出1、2或3张最好的照片是非常困难的，因为每张照片都讲述了一段记忆，一个来自他生活中的亲密时刻。对于这些话，我有一些补充，一张照片的美不仅仅是图像的构图、色彩等，也包含了它与现实记忆的纠缠，以及那种随时可以被点燃的感觉。《123 Polaroids》这本书并不仅传达了艺术家作为诗人的情感，也独特地将编号223对亲密生活的纪念与123张宝丽来交融在一起。

——Luigi Clavareau