ARCHIVES OF ORPHANS (China, 2005)

The Chinese photographer Jiang Jian describes his series ARCHIVES OF ORPHANS as an important turning point in his life and work: during the process he became aware of a new relation between art and life. ARCHIVES OF ORPHANS is a report on a campaign to support more than a thousand indigent child orphans. The children receive help from a philanthropic federation in the province of Henan and a Shaolin Temple located there until they become adults. Jiang Jian wants to document the changes in the lives of the children every five years, making use of diverse photographic methods.