The act of observing is subjective in its nature. Capturing a moment in time and space can sometimes be purely coincidental or highly deliberate. The perspective that an artist uses to record their observation alters the way we as viewers perceive their own environment. We are impelled to see it from the particular angle of their view. In a way, it liberates us from our own self-imposed boundaries.  

The works in this section invite viewers to look at various locales in Southeast and East Asia where nature and the urban interplay. They show us unfamiliar landscapes in the region not often seen by Western audiences, exposing us to some of the raw elements experienced by the artists as they capture their observation. We see instances where environments are destroyed or redeveloped to make way for urbanisation, where nature is harnessed for humanity’s use and where nature triumphs over humanity. These works urge us to question our future in which the climate crisis is already altering the ways we live, and ask us to make choices about the world we want for ourselves.

Wang Wei (China/UK)

One Belt One Road
2018
Photograph series

The Belt and Road Initiative is a global infrastructure development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013 that connects Asia with Africa and Europe via land and maritime networks. Wang Wei’s photography series captures the rapid development of Guiyang, her hometown city, and Chongqing as a result of this policy.