Paris-Beijing Photo Gallery The Old Factory 798 Art District, Dashanzi, Jiu Xian Qiao Lu n°4, 100015 Beijing Chine
Nowadays, China is a country full of contrasts, thanks to its cultural diversity and unhindered growth. Its economic power’s benefits have paved the way for the modernization of the country and for the wealth of some of its inhabitants, whilst exacerbating disparities. The Swiss photographers Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer ventured to meet this many sided community, encountering people from different geographical and social backgrounds.
In June 2007, a year before the Olympic Games, the Swiss photographers Mathias Braschler and Monika Fischer traveled to Beijing there to start an epic journey through China, covering 30 out of 34 provinces, independent cities and autonomous regions, they were on the road for more than seven months, traveled over 30 000 kilometers and visited many remote and untouched areas, sometimes in difficult conditions. The series “The Chinese” is the result of this journey, a series of truthful and touching photographs of today’s China.
Exhibited for the first time in China, “The Chinese” are a selection of 40 to 50 portraits taken with a medium format and large format camera. From the mighty industrialist in Chongqing to the poor coal miner in Shanxi Province, from the prostitute in Shenzhen to the project manager of the prestigious CCTV Tower construction in Beijing, all are pictured in their habitual environment. These portraits tell much about China today, a fascinating place full of contradictions.
Mathias Braschler (1969, Switzerland) started as a freelance photographer for newspapers and magazines and then moved to New York where he published his first book, Madison Avenue. Monika Fischer (1971, Switzerland) worked for many years in Zurich Opera as a staging and dramaturgy assistant. They started working together in 2003 with the photographic project “About Americans”. Their series “Face of Football”, portraits of more than 30 international football stars, has been acclaimed worldwide, and they received the International Press Prize and the bronze medal from the Art Director Club in Germany.
“The Chinese” appeared in countless international magazines and newspapers (Stern, Guardian Magazine, Figaro Magazine and others). A book will also be published by Steidl by the end of 2009.
With the support of the Swiss Embassy in China