Last Post

Book Details:  Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781954119604 112 pages; 50 Photographs 6.75 x 9.5 inches The Last Post compiles the last photos posted on social media by people who have passed away, along with the corresponding text pieces that detail the images and the deaths. It addresses the aesthetics of vernacular imagery and the views of mortality and life, investigating how photographs circulate in our daily lives in the digital sharing age. The deliberately sequenced and recontextualized last posts convey fictional narratives full of ambiguity and mystery, depicting life stories and grappling with the complexity of loss and absence. Meanwhile, the texts reveal factual information about the images and the deaths of the individuals who posted the photographs. Each text piece consists of the corresponding image posting date, image caption (if written), name of the individual who passed away, cause, date, location of death, and a short statement describing the death circumstance. The images and texts in this project offer contextual information for each other, serving as different layers of fictional stories and factual realities. Image and text are separately placed, creating a zone of inquiry for the audience to investigate as they explore the connections/disconnections between the two parts and create multi-layered narratives for interpretation. Tianqiutao Chen received an MFA in Photography and an MA in Art + Design Education from the Rhode Island School of Design. Currently, Chen is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Art and Art History Department at Auburn University in Auburn, AL, USA. Chen’s work has been exhibited widely, including at the Griffin Museum of Photography, Figge Art Museum, Center for Photography at Woodstock, Photographic Center Northwest, Modern Art Oxford, DongGang International Photo Festival, and Copenhagen Photo Festival, among others. His work was selected for the 2022 Critical Mass Top 50 and made the winners shortlist for the Projects & Portfolios section of the 2025 URBAN Photo Awards. His photobook won the Lucie Photo Book Prize for the Independent Publishing Category.