"In 2017, I was invited to Shenzhen, China by a contemporary art organization to make a work about the metropolis that some 30 years ago was a humble fishing village, and now is one of the world’s largest and most modern cities.
I arrived and admittedly did not know what I could possibly have to say about this place. What authority did I have to make a comment about China? Western observations about how things are similar or dissimilar to my world seemed trite at best. And besides, everything is now the same. In many aspects, these new modern cities are like duty free shops in any airport: the same luxury stores, the same Nikes, the same rap music, etc etc.
I found myself struck by the simple pleasure of intensely observing people. I wanted to remove all context and sense of place and just SEE. The resulting images are studies of an urban population. They could be made in New York or Berlin or anywhere. It just so happens they are made in China. I thought of this way of working as more akin to portrait painting as any work I have made". - Christopher Anderson
Edition: 1 of 1
