The Absurd and the Ordinary - Award Winning Emerging Chinese Photographer Zhang Xiao Presents Coastline.

More than mere depiction of modernisation and globalisation in China, Coastline is a revelation of the current mental state of China since its open door policy. The space explored by Zhang Xiao is a microscopic observation and reflection of the changes and its resulting effects from the millions of people who are part of the global rat race of various scales and intensities.

As critic Gu Zeng remarked, the space between the sea and the land (coastline) is occupied by the people who define it, and the exploration of the space by Zhang is a sharp observation of the society. Zhang’s photographs of mass tourism at the beaches, the awkwardly misplaced folklore statues, the broken dam, the forlorn youth staring out to the sea, are scenes which he ponders and questions the everyday life and its absurdities in China. By presenting this series of solemn and quirky images captured over last 3 years, Coastline became a quiet & disturbing representation of the heartbeat of China.