The First Month of the Lunar Year No. 16

2007-2008

The Shanghai-based artist Chen Yujun was born and raised in a rural part of Fujian province, in southeastern China. In this extended series of collaged watercolors on graph paper, the artist records his impressions upon returning to his hometown for the New Year holiday. Part nostalgia, part elegy, and part social commentary, the series touches on such topics as the widespread exodus of young people from rural areas, the stripping of the land for natural resources, and the devaluation of traditional culture.