About the artwork
This industrial landscape grips the viewer, who struggles to understand its origins: documentary photography, constructed composition or movie set? Two young women appear motionless in this setting. Their presence contrasts with the hostility of the environment, creating a sense of incongruity for the viewer. This photograph, from the series The Great Third Front, is a commentary on the political and cultural situation in China. It follows an earlier series, Third Front, produced in 2023, which tells the story of Chinese cities invaded or destroyed by rapid industrialization. It showcases raw, disembodied landscapes, questioning the Chinese government's policy of urbanization and economic liberalism. With its dramatic poetry, this work paints a bitter portrait of a China forever transformed, renouncing its traditions and breaking with nature.
Expert opinion
This photo is from one of Chen Jiagang's most renowned series. Reflecting contemporary vices and issues, this work manages to combine poetic sensibility with political awareness.
About the artist
Born in 1962 in Chongqing (China), Chen Jiagang is a photographer and director of the Chengdu Upriver Museum and the Kunming Upriver Museum, who lives and works in Beijing. He studied architecture at Chongqing University in 1980, before turning to photography in 2001. The following two years, his work was awarded the Excellence Prize at the China Photography Exhibition. In 2003, the artist began his career with his Third Front project, which he continued in 2008 with a second series entitled The Great Third Front. His work blends historical-political reality with photographic mise-en-scène, creating striking universes with serious tones. His work has been widely acclaimed around the world with numerous exhibitions, including at Paris-Beijing Gallery in Paris in 2012 and Gruin Gallery in New York in 2015, and has found its way into prestigious collections such as MOMA.
“Landscape photography is similar to the landscape paintings of ancient times. It's a way for the artist to confront the desperate reality of today's world.”
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