East Wind, West Wind by Bertien van Manen

A photo book by Dutch photographer Bertien van Manen.

After completing A Hundred Summers, A Hundred Winters (1994), van Manen was exhausted by the long and rigorous shooting schedule and was unable to continue his work. One day, he received a proposal for a solo exhibition from Paul Wombell, director of the London Photographers Gallery, and at his urging, he headed to China, which was in the midst of a transformation at the time.

Van Manen visited China a total of 14 times between July 1997 and May 2000, but it wasn't until his 10th visit that he finally figured out what he wanted to photograph. Shot in discos, all-night theaters, airport restaurants, marijuana parties, and private bedrooms, the film depicts the pulse of everyday life and leisure pursuits in modern China. Van Manen also reveals the influence of Western culture in Chinese society, which is becoming more open-minded. These changes are most noticeable among young people, so Van Manen focused mainly on them. Readers can see people in the flow of time, not only in big cities like Shanghai and Beijing, but also in small, remote villages, artists, multi-generational families, and sometimes even exiles, as they travel with Van Manen, who goes into the field.

Designed by Mevis & Van Deursen.

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Title: East Wind, West Wind
Artist: Bertien van Manen
De Verbeelding, 2001
Softcover with flaps, plastic dust-jacket
258 x 203 mm
232 pages
Text in Chinese and English
First edition
ISBN: 9789074159364

Condition: Very Good