A new exhibition entitled "The Chinese Photobook" opened last week in Beijing.
A new exhibition entitled "The Chinese Photobook" opened last week in Beijing. Curated by British photographer Martin Parr and Dutch artist-duo Wassink-Lundgren, it showcases China's rich history of photography publishing over the past 150 years - including the country's twists and turns over that time.
It's never been easy to publish a photobook - it takes time, energy, and money to design, color, print and produce the album. And the photographs inside each carry a message, reflecting the times and adding new dimensions to people's understanding of society and its culture.
To fully explore this untold history, 'The Chinese Photobook' begins with early twentieth century all the way to contemporary Chinese photography. These chapters say as much about China's dramatic modern history as it does about photography itself.
The curators collected photo books in China for years. In the exhibition, enlarged photocopies, videos and physical copies are all used to chronicle the unique role of these albums through history.
