From August 13 to 27, Three Shadows Photography Art Centre will present LOST WORLD, an exhibition of photography and video works by former Three Shadows’ Artist in Residence, Junko Takahashi. The exhibition features new works produced in 2010-2011 while Takahashi was living and working in Caochangdi. The opening of the exhibition will be preceded by a lecture by renowned photography critic and curator, Mariko Takeuchi.
The subject of the photos is a vast area outside northeastern Beijing currently being redeveloped. I stumbled upon a village while visiting the area that looked like it had been bombed. I inserted myself into this unique environment and found myself interacting with the few residents that remained. In spite of the brief sense of rapport, an idea for a new photo series was born like some chemical reaction.
2,100 km away in Tokyo, areas are also being built and destroyed. This is not the result of urban expansion, but more of modernity forcing the upgrading of city centers. In these two cities I saw a drama that unfolded between the city and the people. In this world, I wonder what is born in everyday life and at the same time, what is being lost. As a keyword to this cycle of life and death, I named this Beijing work and exhibition, LOST WORLD.