Tabula Rasa


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« Table rase » Démantèlement des quartiers traditionnels chinois et nouveau cadre urbain vont de pair dans une reconfiguration du gouvernement socialiste à économie de marché. C’est dans ce lien entre métaphore d’un pouvoir en transformation et réalisation concrète d’un nouveau cadre de vie que Boris Svartzman approche l’urbanisation chinoise, en s’attachant à une vision humaine de ce pays qui fait table rase de son passé. « Tabula rasa »
 During five years Boris Svartzman lived and travelled around China. Throughout his journeys he investigated a number of traditional neighbourhoods which today are threatened by demolition and are being replaced with large-scale building projects and skyscrapers. The photographer Boris Svartzman is French with an Argentinean origin. Departing from his interest in China and its political system he studied both political philosophy, sociology, economy and Chinese litterature in France and China Svartzman regards photography and social studies as two complementary tools for describing and discussing the situation of the world and sees in the Chinese urbanisation process an expression for how China is reclaiming its position and power in both global politics and economy. The result of his first journeys, between 2002 and 2005, is a series of black an white photographies which depicts the rapid change of Chinese cities and its building cultures. He later returned, 2006-2007, for a second visit, this time working with colour photography. The motives are mainly found in the cities of Shanghai, Chengdu and Canton. The exhibition Tabula Rasa includes a selection of 21 pictures from both of these visits throughout China. Prior to the exhibition Boris Svatzman’s photographies have been selected for the photo-festival ”Visa pour l’Image” (2006 and 2008), and have also been published in the British magazine Foto8 and in several other international photo reviews. « Tabula rasa »
 El desmantelamiento de los barrios chinos tradicionales y la aparición de los nuevos espacios urbanos son dos realidades indisociables en la reconfiguración del gobierno socialista a una economía de mercado. Es en este vínculo, entre la metáfora de un poder en transformación y la realización concreta de un nuevo marco de vida, que Boris Svartzman enfoca su trabajo sobre la urbanización de China; centrándose en una visión humana de este país que menosprecia la voluntad de su población y su pasado. 
photographs by Boris Svartzman

Sponsor : Arbetets Museum / Ambassade de France en Suède

From 06/11/2008 to 07/12/2008
Arkitekturmuseet
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SE-111 49 Stockholm
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