‘Traces of Civilization’ depicts the landscape of China’s Gansu Province, an area located in the northwest corner of China that is recognized both for its exceptionally rich Buddhist history as well as its barren, harsh deserts. Though many equate China with images of urbanization, ‘Traces of Civilization’ suggests a reversal of this notion. Here Tian Taiquan depicts the power of Mother Earth fighting back by bury... More

‘Traces of Civilization’ depicts the landscape of China’s Gansu Province, an area located in the northwest corner of China that is recognized both for its exceptionally rich Buddhist history as well as its barren, harsh deserts. Though many equate China with images of urbanization, ‘Traces of Civilization’ suggests a reversal of this notion. Here Tian Taiquan depicts the power of Mother Earth fighting back by burying traces of past human civilization. To make this work Tian combines hundreds of photographs together to make one powerful image… a recollection of photographs - a recollection of memories from a recent past. Short