Memories of her youth

Speaking about the exhibition, Rong Rong, the exhibition's curator, who was touched by Martane's photos when she first saw them in early 2017, says: "This is a series of works brimming with warmth and authenticity. These scenes are now gone forever, but photography documents them with sincerity."

Separately, Martane also gave a concert at the gallery on Jan 12, performing along with some of those indie musicians, such as Guo Long, Xiao He, and Wan Xiaoli, who are considered pioneers of the country's indie music scene,

At the concert, Martane performed about 15 songs, including It's Not My Name, written by Xiao He; Lonely Bird, written by Wan, and French songs, such as Coo-coo Dove, a Mexican folk song written by Tomas Mendez and French song, Cafe Du Canal, by Pierre Perret.

Speaking about the performance and the show before a rehearsal, Martane says: "The concert and the photo exhibition are closely connected, as I became friends with these musicians about 15 years ago. We've had some great times together, and now we are all grown up,"

"It feels warm to get back together with them and sing.

"Xiao He initiated the idea of the concert together. I used to sing a few songs at their shows in small bars in the 2000s, but I had never done a concert before."

Speaking about how she started performing with the musicians, she says it all started at the bar located in the capital's Sanlitun area in 2001.

The performers there were a band called Wild Children from Lanzhou in China's northwestern Gansu province.

The band - known for its fusion of local folk songs played on Western instruments - was founded in 1995 by Suo Wenjun - who died in 2004 aged 34 - and Zhang Quan.