Shifting
September 15 - October 1, 2005
Opening reception Thursday, September 15, 6-8 pm
Through a new series of photographs titled “Shifting”,
I am exploring contemporary issues of globalization.
The photographs record stark physical and visual changes
to my respective cities and countries in China and Canada.
They look at the "sameness" of recent rapid
urban development in British Columbia's Lower Mainland
and the rest of Canada, as well as in Chongqing, Beijing
and Shanghai, China. At the same time, they address and
contrast issues of cultural hybridization. The primary
focus is the spread of “international” business,
architecture, urban design and culture, and the effects
on shifting ideas of community, home, nationality and
individuality.
The dramatic cultural overlap I am engaged with has resulted
in new cultural forms. In my work, I provide a personal
view of the dialogue between two different cultural forces.
The world I record is fleeting and in a state of shifting.
And whether economic or cultural, the shifting has become
undeniable and unstoppable. In this dynamic movement,
each culture reacts and blends with others, creating new
hybrid complexes.
Gu Xiong
2005 |
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Ikea 2005, C-print
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