2000

Created in 2000 for Miserable Faith's debut album, this photograph dates back to the era of film photography. At the time, Zhang Yang was designing album artwork for the independent rock label Scream Records, often serving as both designer and photographer.

Early in his career, Zhang Yang routinely gave his original negatives to the bands or record labels after each shoot, resulting in the loss of many of his early works. After this session, however, Gao Hu encouraged him to keep the negatives, marking the beginning of Zhang Yang's lifelong practice of preserving his photographic archive.

2018

Originally exhibited in Evolution, Zhang Yang's 2018 solo exhibition in Manhattan, this photograph explores transformation on both a personal and cultural scale. It reflects the evolution of Miserable Faith, the changing landscape of Chinese rock music, and Zhang Yang's own relocation from Beijing to New York. Later, the image became one of the defining promotional photographs of Miserable Faith and marked the beginning of Zhang Yang's ongoing series, The Post-Revolution Era.

2015

Taken in 2015 after a performance in Xining, this photograph is part of an afternoon-long promotional shoot with Miserable Faith at Qinghai Lake. Rather than documenting a live performance, this photograph places the band within the vast natural landscape, creating a visual dialogue between human presence and the quiet openness of Qinghai Lake.

2015

At the end of an afternoon-long photo session at Qinghai Lake in 2015, Zhang Yang invited the members of Miserable Faith to step into the cold water despite their exhaustion. Gao Hu entered first, and the others quietly followed, giving rise to one of the band's most memorable images.

Inspired by Miserable Faith's song May Love Be Free from Sorrow, written to encourage those living with depression, the photograph was later chosen as the cover for the Taiwan edition of the album.

2015

A rare pause in Tongyang's intensive 2015 tour provided the opportunity for this photograph. Captured along the coast in Xiamen between performances, the image reveals a quieter, more reflective side of the band beyond the energy of the stage.

2015

Photographed at sunset on the same day in Xiamen, this image reflects Zhang Yang's desire to move beyond a conventional band portrait. Rather than emphasizing the musicians' identities, he used natural reflections and fading light to create an image shaped by atmosphere, memory, and emotional resonance.

2000

Taken in 2000 on the Golden Water Bridge in front of Tiananmen, this photograph was created for the booklet of Miserable Faith's debut album. Beyond documenting the band's early years, the image preserves a moment in Beijing's urban landscape that has since become inaccessible, reflecting the profound changes the city has undergone over the past two decades.

2016

Photographed at Jiangjinjiu Livehouse in Beijing in 2016, this image reflects the enduring relationship between Zhang Yang and Miserable Faith. Although he was no longer traveling with the band and had shifted his focus to editing the documentary Today's Youth, he continued to photograph them on selected occasions, documenting a collaboration shaped by years of shared experience.

2015

Made at the 2015 Tuborg Music Festival in Kunming, this photograph is part of Zhang Yang's long-term documentation of Miserable Faith during their 2015 tour. Moving between performance and daily life, the project offers an intimate record of the band's creative journey on and off the stage.

2013

Tongue's 2013 reunion performance at Sparrow House Live in Beijing provided the setting for this photograph, created to commemorate the band's long-awaited return. Wu Tun's raised fist transcends a momentary gesture, standing as a lasting symbol of resilience, resistance, and the enduring spirit of Chinese rock.

2013

Photographed during Tongue's 2013 reunion tour, this image centers on guitarist Zhu Xiaolong, whose return from France reunited the band's original lineup. For many fans, his presence symbolized the return of Tongue itself. His sharp, driving guitar riffs had become one of the band's defining signatures, making this photograph not only a portrait of a musician, but also a record of a long-awaited reunion in Chinese rock history.

2014

This photograph was made at Haishe, Dali, in 2014 and later featured as the inside cover of Wild Children's album Under the Bridge. Set against the landscape of Erhai Lake, the image echoes the band's restrained aesthetic and enduring connection to nature.

2014

In 2014, following Wu Rui's arrival in Wild Children, the band's management commissioned a new series of promotional photographs. This portrait was created during that session in Dali, marking the beginning of a new chapter for both the band and my photographic practice after relocating there.

2011

Photographed at Beijing's 798 Art District in 2011, this image was created as a promotional portrait for Yaksa, one of China's pioneering heavy metal bands.

2010

Photographed in Erenhot during the autumn of 2010, this image was taken between the filming of three Yaksa music videos, all completed in just a day and a half with an exceptionally modest budget. It reflects the intensity, resourcefulness, and creative spirit that defined independent rock production in China at the time.

2015

Photographed during Miserable Faith's performance at the 2015 Strawberry Music Festival in Chongqing, this image captures the band's powerful stage presence at a defining moment in their career. Through Zhang Yang's lens, it preserves the enduring energy and spirit of China's independent rock scene.

2020

Ink and Wash on Paper

Horizontal Scroll

17 3/4 x 53 9/16 in

45x136cm

2023

Ink and Wash on Paper

Vertical Scroll

53 9/16 x 26 3/4 in

136 x 68 cm

2023

Ink and Wash on Paper

Framed

17 3/4 x 17 3/4 in

45 x 45 cm

2020

Ink and Wash on Paper

Vertical Scroll

17 3/4 x 17 3/4 in

45 x 45 cm

2021

Ink and Wash on Paper

Vertical Scroll

35 1/16 x 35 1/16 in

89 x 89 cm

2024

Oil on Canvas

10 ½ × 6 ½ in

27 × 16 cm
This work has been sold.

2024

Oil on Canvas

10 3/4 x 8 5/8 in

27.3 x 22 cm

2024

Oil on Canvas

10 ½ x 6 ½ in

27 × 16 cm

2024

Oil on Canvas

10 ½ x 6 ½ in

27×16cm

2024

Oil on Canvas

10 ½ x 6 ½ in

27 × 16 cm

2024

Oil on Canvas

10 ½ x 6 ½ in

27 × 16 cm

2024

Oil on Canvas

10 3/4 x 8 5/8 in

27.3 x 22 cm

2024

Ceramic

10 1/4 x 6 5/16 x 5 1/8 in

26 x 16 x 13 cm
This work has been sold.

2024

Ceramic

10 5/8 x 5 1/8 x 3 15/16 in

27 x 13 x 10 cm
This work has been sold.

2024

Ceramic

10 5/8 x 4 5/16 x 4 5/16 in

27 x 11 x 11 cm
This work has been sold.

2024

Acrylic on Canvas

18 x 15 in

45.5 x 38 cm
This work has been sold.

2020

Ink and Wash on Paper

18 1/8 x 27 3/16 in

46 x 69 cm
This work has been sold.