Depicting endless rows of uniformed workers, Edward Burtynsky’s iconic images of early-2000s Chinese factories showed the human labor behind China’s economic progress. Just two decades later, the photographer’s glimpse inside an electric car plant near Shanghai presents the opposite: a complete absence of people.
These images are from revered Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky’s ‘China in Africa’ series, documenting China’s growing influence on the continent through the lens of industrial development.
At Flowers Gallery in Hong Kong, the exhibition explores China’s evolving role in global manufacturing, from the transformation of its domestic production systems to the expansion of its industrial footprint across the African continent.
This transformation of China’s presence in Africa to massive automation is contrasted with scenes photographed in Ethiopia and Namibia, where Chinese-owned rail crossings, warehouses, and apparel factories reflect a different phase of industrialization: slower-paced, less mechanized, and still reliant on manual labour.
Captured between 2018 and late 2024, the images offer a visual record of China’s pivotal influence on the contemporary industrial landscape.
Flowers Gallery, Hong Kong, exhibition site, here.
Edward Burtynsky’s site, here.
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I first saw the work of, first learned the name of, Burtynsky through a gigantic show of his work at the AGO in 2008, the year it reopened after the Gehry expansion. I’ve been awestruck ever since. I appreciate this post — his earlier series shaped my understanding of China’s industries, now he has brought me up to date .
He is such a giant and (as you point out since you first saw him in 2008) he has a massive file of work. I checked his current exhibitions earlier this week and he has more than a dozen on simultaneously. One can only hope his work is having an impact on people’s perceptions.
There’s the sheer technical skill as well. I can’t describe it now, but I remember seeing articles about the size and capacities of the cameras he uses, and the scaffolding & other resources required to enable him to take all those astounding panoramic shots, with pinpoint clarity throughout the depth & width of the field. I always like to honour the technical skill that makes artistry possible. Even when I don’t understand that skill, and can pay ignorant tribute!