28 Feb 2017

Queer Chinese Photographer Ren Hang Dies

The controversial photographer and poet reportedly committed suicide in Berlin.

Queer Chinese photographer and poet, Ren Hang, has died at the age of 29.

The controversial artist and subversive provocateur is understood to have committed suicide by jumping off a building while in Berlin on Friday morning. He would have turned 30 next month.

Hang rose to fame for his sexually-charged, often explicit photographs of naked youths—mostly his friends.

Hang was arrested several times for his explicit photographs and was censored throughout his career in China, though he often exhibited abroad.

"Every year, my wish remains the same: to die earlier," Ren wrote in a recent post on his Weibo account. "I hope this year, it can become reality."