Like most Pilates teachers and other physical therapists, I am fascinated by the human body, how it looks, the way it works and how it moves.  For this reason I love the photography of Ren Hang, which celebrates the beauty, strength and fragility of the human form.  Sadly Ren Hang died this week at just 29 years old.

Championed by Ai Wei Wei, and talked of as China’s answer to Ryan McGinley, Ren Hang’s photography is often highly explicit, featuring nude group and solo portraits of men and women often contorted into highly performative positions. Not models, but his friends, and increasingly, his fans, often shot in his tiny high-rise apartment.

To pay tribute to his work, here are some of my favourite photographs by Ren Hang…

Such a sad loss…