This timely book documents the phenomenon of rapid and transformative urbanization in China through the work of thirty-one of the country's most talented art photographers. Capturing both the remnants of widespread demolition and constant, massive new development, these insiders have captured the new Chinese reality--an "era without memories"--brought on by the expansive urban transformation.
In four thematic chapters, An Era Without Memories offers a varied and thought-provoking kaleidoscope of imagery depicting every aspect of urban living, from juxtapositions of old and new to still-life pockets of roadside greenery to digital renderings of closely packed high-rises. These include Miao Xiaochun's photograph of a vast glass building rising ominously from behind a traditional neighborhood; Wang Jinsong's collages of the Chinese character used to mark condemned buildings; Zhang Peili's shots of pastiche Western architecture; Xu Zhengqin's billboards showing dream residential and commercial developments; and Wang Chuan's poetic images of abandoned, half-finished, modern buildings.
Complete with an introduction by Stephan Feuchtwang, an expert on China and Professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics, and a personal afterword by author Jiang Jiehong, this remarkable book offers a moving portrait of the dramatically changing Chinese landscape.
