Saltwater floods out from the frame of a seascape painting. Images of beauties are subtly concealed beneath the surface of a pond. Stone steps stretch out from a forest and snake through the bosom of a huge crag, while a giant tree growing from a floating pod hovers above a quiet lake against the background of snow-capped mountains.

These dreamlike scenes are brought by veteran American photographer Jerry Uelsmann to the Beijing World Art Museum until July 15.

Entitled Imaginary Space, the retrospective show selects 132 exhibits from his 2,000 works produced over the past 50 years. Combining rocks, trees, rivers, boats and broken landscapes, Uelsmann brings surreal, visual enjoyment to the viewers.

Acclaimed as the "Magician of Photography", Uelsmann is a pioneer of post-visualization who breaks through the tradition of conceiving images before clicking the shutter. He considers his work in the darkroom a continuation of the processes of exploration and discovery. Often, he blends images from two or more negatives onto a single print, producing a unique kind of purely manual montage effect.

Uelsmann still uses this technique in his darkroom despite the proliferation of software that digitally blends these images used by many other photographers today.

The somewhat absurd effect, marked by symbolization, deformation, exaggeration and abstraction, refracts the essence of modern life.

Uelsmann is internationally known not only for his unique technique but also for his imagination. With strong psychological implications, he extended the tradition of surrealist photography.

Evoking mysteriousness, his surrealist work breaks with orthodoxy and acts as a window to the inner world of the subconscious.

Set against the backdrop of modern social anxieties, some of his works tackle political concerns, including the anti-war movement and his disdain for the invention of the atomic bomb.

Born in 1934 in Detroit, Uelsmann began his photography career as a teacher at the University of Florida in 1960, where he later became a graduate research professor. Over the past 50 years, he has received numerous awards, and his works have been frequently exhibited in the United States and abroad.

Time: 9am-5pm, until Jul 15.
Address:Beijing World Art Museum, China Millennium Monument, A9 Fuxinglu, Haidian District.
Tel: 010-6851-3322.