From the Yellow River to the East River
By Yukiko Yamagata & Annick Shen
China’s Yellow River Basin hosts some of the country’s most industrialized areas. While rapid development has improved the standard of living of many of its inhabitants, it has come at a significant environmental cost. Since 2009, Ian Teh has been documenting the river’s changing landscape in a series of panoramic photographs called Traces: Landscapes in Transition on the Yellow River Basin.
In August, New Yorkers will have an opportunity to view a selection of these images on a commuter ferry travelling New York City’s East River. Presented as part of Drawn to Water: A Floating Photographic Exhibition by United Photo Industries, the East River Ferry, and the Open Society Documentary Photography Project, this unique exhibition allows ferry riders to experience Teh’s photographs in a setting that echoes the images themselves.
To learn more about Traces, watch this video and hear Teh speak about his motivations for producing this work.
Traces: Landscapes in Transition on the Yellow River Basin is also on view at the Open Society Foundations’ New York office, as part of the Moving Walls 20 group photography exhibition. Please note that Moving Walls 20 is temporarily closed for the month of August and will re-open on September 3, 2013.
Until December 2021, Yukiko Yamagata was curatorial and deputy director of Culture and Art at the Open Society Foundations.
Until January 2015, Annick Shen was the senior communications coordinator for photography at the Open Society Foundations and photo editor for the Documentary Photography Project.
