"Photographs of the constantly changing landscape along the Yangtze River, before the initial startup of the Three Gorges Dam - Authentic images of China’s leap into a new er.
Nadav KANDER (b. 1961 in Israel) creates images in an age of radical change: in a series awarded the famed Prix Pictet in 2009, he photographed a China in the process of revolution.
Traveling along the Yangtze River, he took serene pictures of people haplessly facing overwhelming change. In these pictures, the river—China’s main artery—becomes a metaphor of constant transformation. The tiny figure of a mother with a baby in her arms leans against a huge bridge piling, and one cannot help but wonder what the country will look like when this child is an adult. There are still traces of the old China, for whose spirituality the river was important, but the idyllic old buildings and houseboats have been replaced by colossal new apartment complexes that emulate Western architecture.
As KANDER himself says: 'China is a nation that appears to be severing its roots by destroying its past in the wake of the sheer force of its moving ‘forward’ at such an astounding and unnatural pace. A people scarring their country, and a country scarring its people'.” (publisher's note, © Hatje Caantz, 2011)
German Photobook Award in Gold 2011
Book Reviews:
“It is a book that exudes a certain surface calmness in its detached gaze, its formal beauty and the muted tones of the often-vast landscapes KANDER captures.” (© The Guardian)
“‘Yangtze, The Long River’ is not so much a book about China at this particular point in time, it's a book about us and what we are making out of this planet. It's not a pretty sight. A book that deserves wide exposure.” (© Jörg Colberg, Conscientious)
“The book is a gem and the work is timeless, which makes it a must have for any serious photo-book collector.” (© photo-eye Magazine)
Nadav KANDER (b. 1961 in Israel) creates images in an age of radical change: in a series awarded the famed Prix Pictet in 2009, he photographed a China in the process of revolution.
Traveling along the Yangtze River, he took serene pictures of people haplessly facing overwhelming change. In these pictures, the river—China’s main artery—becomes a metaphor of constant transformation. The tiny figure of a mother with a baby in her arms leans against a huge bridge piling, and one cannot help but wonder what the country will look like when this child is an adult. There are still traces of the old China, for whose spirituality the river was important, but the idyllic old buildings and houseboats have been replaced by colossal new apartment complexes that emulate Western architecture.
As KANDER himself says: 'China is a nation that appears to be severing its roots by destroying its past in the wake of the sheer force of its moving ‘forward’ at such an astounding and unnatural pace. A people scarring their country, and a country scarring its people'.” (publisher's note, © Hatje Caantz, 2011)
German Photobook Award in Gold 2011
Book Reviews:
“It is a book that exudes a certain surface calmness in its detached gaze, its formal beauty and the muted tones of the often-vast landscapes KANDER captures.” (© The Guardian)
“‘Yangtze, The Long River’ is not so much a book about China at this particular point in time, it's a book about us and what we are making out of this planet. It's not a pretty sight. A book that deserves wide exposure.” (© Jörg Colberg, Conscientious)
“The book is a gem and the work is timeless, which makes it a must have for any serious photo-book collector.” (© photo-eye Magazine)
- Book design
- Tappin GOFTON
- Format
- HC (no dust jacket, as issued), 35 x 28 x 2,5 cm., 188 pp., 77 color ills., text language: English