Straight through China

Next to futuristic megacities, China also has a rich historical heritage and age-old traditions. It is an intriguing country with many vistas and cultures, that is rapidly changing.

Photographer Ruben Terlou has an idiosyncratic view of documentary (photo)journalism. He participates, yet remains the photographer. In recent years, he has gained much praise with the VPRO documentary series ‘Through the heart of China’, in which he shows personal stories from today’s China close-up. These series will be shown in the exhibition. Terlou’s strength lies in his eye for everyday situations, which move, surprise and offer you a new view of a country in transition. With his photographs, he breaks through the clichéd image of China. He approaches the Chinese in a personal manner and is curious about what they think, feel and experience.

Terlou previously exhibited in Noorderlicht | House of Photography in 2016 with his ‘Encounters along the Yangtze’, a penetrating visual account of his travels. In ‘Right through China’ he portrays contemporary China once more, showing how the Chinese arm themselves against the loss that modernisation entails, and how they deal with new opportunities.

Ruben Terlou (1985), active as a photographer in China and Afghanistan, was awarded the Prize for Innovative Photojournalism, part of the Zilveren Camera 2016.

The exhibition is produced in collaboration with Museum Hilversum.