CHEN JIAGANG

Chen Jiagang has positioned himself as one of China’s most prominent and sought after photographers. His images of industrial China, of factories or mines and arid landscapes are easily recognised the world over. Whether in colour or black and white, Chen seems to capture an intensity and depth to his environment rarely seen. Be it his architectural background or an innate ability to see past obvious beauty, Chen encourages us to find grace in the apparently graceless.

For his series Third Front he visited a large number of abandoned villages and factories. During the 1960s China installed heavy industry and factories in the countryside, resulting in the relocation of millions of people. Then in the 1980's, economic reform was initiated, the factories were closed and the towns and cities became empty. Chen visited these regions on many occasions and photographed the industrial wasteland. Within the resulting images he places a woman, often dressed in a Qipao, and sometimes a young girl. These are symbolic and reference China's history as well as raising questions.