A curated glimpse into a world of infinite beauty and creativity.
An old residential building is seen surrounded by a newly-built ring viaduct, in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China, June 18, 2015. The building was planned to be demolished, but several units in the building refused to move out as they couldn’t reach a compensation agreement with the authority, local media reported. Picture via REUTERS/Ma Qiang/Southern Metropolis Daily
Luoping Rape Flower Fields, Yunnan Province, China / photographed by +Lanzi These sparkling images, that look more like a golden ocean, are of yellow rapeseed flowers, also known as canola, attract thousands of tourists every year (during the blossoming season) to Luoping, a small county in eastern China.
In a surreal blend of day and night, Budapest-based photographer Bence Bakonyi’s series “Urbanite” features vast cityscapes seemingly devoid of people. Shot in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the series presents settings in which the presence of humanity is eerily close, as though the population had suddenly fled, leaving lights on and laundry on the line.Bakonyi’s artist statement describes the series’ intended effect upon its audience; “The ‘Urbanite’ series is an account of how the artist found his home in the unknown. We can see the city as it is presented by the photographer, but also the artist who is in turn brought closer to us by China.” (text via fstoppers.com)
Kimiko Yoshida – The Mao Bride. Self Portrait, 2009
Ocean of Flowers in Luoping, China / unknown photographer(s)
In his series ‘Totems’ set in Shanghai, China French photographer Alain Delorme pays homage to the underdog heroes of the city, migrant bicycle workers lugging around heaps of cargo to keep the ever-expanding city afloat. Delorme turns this real injustice into a surreal circus whereby he digitally alters his photos to better convey his message about the wealth disparity in China.
Hereby the migrants’ loads have been digitally retouched and purposefully exaggerated to draw attention to the symbolism within Delorme’s work. In addition, the photographer uses candy-coated hues to veer away from reality.
In his series ‘The Real Toy Story’ photographer Michael Wolf captures the truth behind made in China stickers. The series exposes the viewer to row after row of anonymous faces, but it’s effective enough just to see that there are actual people behind the knickknacks rather than a succession of robotic machines. Interspersed within the wide shots of the factory are intimate portraits of laborers, giving even more of a human feel to the series. Though Wolf’s project is, at times, depressing, especially when you think about all the hard work these people put into their livelihood everyday without much acknowledgement, it is also eye-opening and insightful. It is through the photographer’s journalistic eye and his decision to share their faces and work environment that they are finally given some much deserved recognition. (text by my modern met)
