TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“??/Looking Afar“)
© Lei Jianyou

Lei is a young photographer from Zhejiang, China. A self-taught photographer with a short history behind him, his works carry a certain heaviness. He infuses elements of melancholy romanticism in his pictures of abandoned objects, often resulting in works that are both beautiful and painful to look at.

This series was produced during a winter period when he traveled to the north of China. The coldness of the weather, coupled with longing for a lost love and the warmth of friends resulted in this set of images. He projected his feelings onto a dejected landscape, as a form of mediation between a conflicted inner landscape and the serene world outside.

For more of his works, visit his portfolio here (in Chinese only, links are on the right of the images).

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“9#, Sk8 and Toy-kyo“)
© Joji Shinamoto

Street culture graces the portfolio of Japanese photographer, Joji Shimamoto, as he traverses between New York City and Tokyo. Born and raised in Japan, he has since relocated to the Big Apple as a freelance photographer. Recently featured in Japan’s Photographica magazine and studio voice, this young photographer’s future looks bright.

Visit his portfolio to see more. A collection is also available here.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“November“)
© Gloria Chung

I know it’s only the end of January but Gloria Chung’s November series made me think a little about how time flies. Turn one round on the spot you’re standing on and you would be saying goodbye to 2010 already.

This year has been pretty packed and awesome so far (hence the lack of posts). I’m sad to see this month almost over. Sometimes, life moves too quickly for us to truly enjoy every single moment.

Gloria is currently based in NYC and shoots freelance. Hop over to her website to see her other works.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Qi Lihe“)
© Stephen Kelly, 2009

Stephen JB Kelly documented the lives of ethnic Muslim minorities living in Lanzhou, a city in China’s north west. The government’s treatment of the Uighurs have dominated the news in recent months. Stephen’s series comes at a right time, shedding light onto a world previously ignored by the outside world.

From his statement:

Qi Lihe is home to thousands of Muslim migrant families who have left their homeland within the Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture and arrived into the city searching for job opportunities and ultimately, a better life. For hundreds of years the Hui and Dongxiang Muslim minorities have farmed the arid land surrounding their ancestral villages. In recent years though, desertification has forced this once workable landscape to begin a dramatic change, impelling many modern day farmers and their families to seek a better existence in Lanzhou.

The work is a documentation of culture, modernization, oppression and environmental destruction all rolled into one. This is a story that has been repeated too many times in our short history. Once again, we’re reminded of the things we leave behind in the name of progress.

Visit his online portfolio to see the rest of the series.

Simple Style is an indie blog that aims to encourage and inspire the creative class. Edited by Qing Zhou and Weimar Yao from Shanghai and Guangdong respectively, it’s an excellent launchpad into the design/art/photography/music world found in China and beyond. Well, the only drawback is that it’s written in mandarin but good work translates all languages! I think I may just start collaborating with them to port some of the amazing finds over here.

Oh and they wrote an excellent post about me recently and I’m returning the favor. (A beautifully written introduction, if I may add.) :)

TOP TO MIDDLE, from (“Tokyo Suburbia“)
© Takashi Homma, 1998

BOTTOM, from (“New Waves“)
© Takashi Homma, 2003

Takashi Homma captures the dark ominous side of Tokyo in the late nineties in his series ‘Tokyo Suburbia’. Japan was at the cusp of an economic doldrum, where an asset bubble caused many subsequent years of recession. It was this darkness that swallowed the dreams of many individuals, where the young grew up disconnected from society.

With a detached eye, Takashi recorded the suburban houses that residents left behind on weekends and the youths roaming the streets. The empty streets and houses become a reflection of the people it housed. The future of the nation posing with an air of nonchalance and defiance. More than a decade later, how has this changed?

More about the photographer here.

TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“swallow“)
© Dayoung Kang, 2009

Dayoung Kang’s swallow series depicts the anonymity and lack of identity in modern society. Faceless characters inhabit the images; unable to communicate with others in the society. The hidden wounds we carry haunt us, yet we continue to swallow the pain. Visit her website here.

This will be the last in the feature on Chung-ang University. I hoped you enjoyed it.

Su-yeon Choi: Who cries all the time over everything

Ji-in Kim: Who hates to wear school uniform

Na-hee un: Who doesn’t know what to do in the future
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“colorless“)
© Siyeon Park, 2009

From her statement:

When I was young, I couldn’t even have a meal with my family…so I ate at my mother’s car all the time on the way to the academy. I didn’t know that what am I doing here and why should I do this for 19 years. I just did because everyone was doing the same thing…I was like a robot in a factory. This story is not only mine but of all Korean students.

While it contains elements of teenage angst and feelings of being lost in the world, I’m sure it could easily be applied to most people out there. How many of us know our ultimate destination? We’re all just groping around blindly in this world and most times, we have to fit into the mould that society imposes on us.