I arrived in China in 2005 with a secondhand camera, a laptop and a plan to try to make a living from photography within a year. In the end, I spent 12 years in Shanghai, where I managed to earn enough from commercial work to do projects of my own. When I first spotted people sleeping in public, it completely broke the image I had of China. Like many in the west, I had a preconceived idea of the country as an economic monster and of its people working uncomplainingly,…
Tag: Photography
12 African Artists Leading a Culture Renaissance Around the World
In one of his famed self-portraits, Omar Victor Diop, a Senegalese photographer and artist, wears a three-piece suit and an extravagant paisley bow tie, preparing to blow a yellow, plastic whistle. The elaborately staged photograph evokes the memory of Frederick Douglass, the one-time fugitive slave who in the 19th century rose to become a leading abolitionist, activist, writer and orator, as well as the first African American to be nominated for vice president of the United States. Diop is no stranger to portraying the aches and hopes of Black people…
Shanghai’s ‘voguing’ dancers step lightly to avoid official gaze – in pictures
Voguing is a dance style characterised by staccato hand motions and angular arm and body postures punctuated by brief pauses. Popularised in 1990 by a hit Madonna song and the documentary Paris is Burning, the trend has drawn adherents in China too, with Shanghai’s first such event organised five years ago The Guardian
Chinese glories, last rites revised and hypermodern tapestry – the week in art
Exhibition of the week China’s Hidden CenturyBlockbuster survey of China in the 19th century, when the imperial era was coming to an end. British Museum, London, 18 May to 8 October Also showing Gwen John: Art and Life in London and Paris Introspective portraits by the Welsh Vermeer. Pallant House, Chichester, 13 May to 8 October Patrick CaulfieldEarly work by one of the most ironic and haunting British modern painters and printmakers. Josh Lilley, London, 18 May to 20 June Melati Suryodarmo This acclaimed performance artist brings her vision to…
In Chinese Photography, Political Anguish Made Physical
WASHINGTON — Chinese photography erupted with creative energy in the early 1990s, only to subside about a decade later. It was a period of anxious uncertainty. The encouragement of capitalist practices and the partial easing of restrictions on political and artistic expression of the ’80s had ended abruptly and tragically with the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 4, 1989. By 1992, it was apparent that economic reforms would continue full throttle, but the political relaxation of the ’80s would not. In that troubled time, there was an outpouring of artistic…
Uyghur: Reclaiming Our Story – exhibition looks beyond the oppression
Photographer Sam Biddle engages with members of the Uyghur diaspora who are reclaiming their identity and broadening the public’s perception, from the singular narrative of persecution to include the thousands of years of rich Uyghur history and culture. The exhibition starts on 11 March in Coburg, Victoria The Guardian
Here and Now: portraits of British-Chinese identity – in pictures
Yan Wang Preston’s portrait series Here and Now explores British Chinese identity through the British landscape. She is a British-Chinese artist interested in landscape, identity, migration and the environment. She tried to portray their ‘Britishness’ instead of their ‘Chineseness’ since the former embraces the latter, and the title of the series refers to the community’s firm footing here now in Britain. Aiming to capture a diverse range of perspectives, this series is a celebration of migration and identity and tells important and inspiring stories. The series is part of the…
Lunar New Year 2023 around the world – in pictures
Panama City, Panama Artists perform the traditional Lion Dance during the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations on January 20, 2023 Photograph: Bienvenido Velasco/EPA The Guardian
Photographer Luo Yang captures rare glimpse of China’s ‘brave and free’ youth
Neon hair, heavy black lipstick, friends gathered around a table in leopard print and lace. Luo Yang’s portraits of young people offer a rare glimpse into modern culture in China. The Shanghai-based photographer says she was drawn to taking pictures as a way of recording emotions that rise up during adolescence. She has been documenting Chinese youth for more than a decade. “They live bravely and authentically under the limits of traditional culture,” she said in an email interview. Luo Yang was born in Liaoning, China and is based in…
Shanghai’s month under lockdown – in pictures
Shanghai city authorities have said they will start Covid-19 testing over the next few days to determine which neighbourhoods can safely be allowed a limited amount of freedom of movement. The city’s lockdown began a month ago, taking a toll on residents confined to their homes. While a small, lucky portion of people have been allowed to leave their homes in the past week, the vast majority of people remain confined The Guardian