Wildman Fever | Ruben Lundgren

INTRODUCTION
 
As the Cultural Revolution in China drew to an end in the mid-1970s, paleoanthropologists turned their attention to prove the existence of a Chinese Bigfoot called “the Wildman”. For two decades no efforts were spared to capture a glimpse, hair or footprint from this legendary hairy creature. Wildman Fever tells the story of this search that lead a nation into a wilderness of fact and fiction.
 
"The Chinese are not alone in their fascination for creatures that dance on the boundary between the human and animal worlds. Maoist ideology in China had long criminalised such interest in the superstitious or paranormal but as the Cultural Revolution drew to an end in the mid 1970s, room for more scientific freedom emerged. Chinese paleoanthropologists turned their attention to the existence of Bigfoot and Yeti-like mammals. This trend closely paralleled, and indeed was fuelled by widespread enthusiasm in Western countries for the same phenomena. 
 
The topic quickly captured the Chinese popular imagination, with scientists descending on mountainous areas of Hubei province to investigate reported sightings of a strange being called: the Wildman or ‘Yeren’ in Chinese. Footprints were found, hair samples collected and dozens of testimonies from local farmers about this legendary creature were given. They typically agree that it walks upright and stands over two meter tall; is covered in tawny hair all over the body and has a face reminiscent of both an ape and a human. Officially sponsored research, followed by stories from many amateur enthusiasts, sparked a nationwide phenomenon called ‘Wildman Fever’ that would last for decades. 
 
In this publication we have zoomed in on a diverse set of photographic and handwritten research made by leading investigators of the Wildman Investigation and Research Group that have been collected by the Archive of Modern Conflict. It includes hand-coloured photographs of eyewitnesses, quotes from newspaper articles and a sample of real Wildman hair. The book intends to summarise the phenomenon, without answering the question of the actual existence of the creature but instead tell the story that lead the nation into a wilderness of fact and fiction. "
 
Ruben Lundgren -
 
 
ABOUT ARTIST
 
Ruben Lundgren, born in 1983, is a Dutch photographer and curator based in Beijing. He is renowned for his work within the conceptual photography duo WassinkLundgren and gained significant attention with publications such as Empty Bottles (2007) and Tokyo Tokyo (2010). Lundgren completed a master's degree in photography at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 2011. His relocation to China has profoundly influenced his career, leading him to engage deeply with Chinese contemporary photography.
 
As a photojournalist, Lundgren works for the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant and published the book Real Dreams (2021). He has made notable contributions as a curator, including The Chinese Photobook (2015) in collaboration with Martin Parr, Ellen Thorbecke’s China (2021) for the Nederlands Fotomuseum and China Imagined (2022) for BredaPhoto together with curator He Yining. His exhibitions are known for their accessibility and appeal to both general audiences and photography experts.
 
 
SPECIFICATIONS
 
Size: 55 x 225 mm
Format: 200 pages, hardcover
Published by AMC books in collaboration with 200cm,
First edition of 800 copies, November 2024, London/Amsterdam

Idea and concept: Ruben Lundgren
Book Design: Yinhe Cheng
 
The images were selected from the collection of Chinese vernacular photography at the Archive of Modern Conflict, London.