This project compiles images taken over a nine-year period in China by Peter Fitzpatrick, during which he participated in the Pingyao International Photography Festival and the Redgate Artist Residency program.
Girl With Dog Datong
Fitzpatrick had two main objectives for his photographs. The first was to create opportunities for connecting with locals, particularly those from immigrant and minority populations in China. Using a digital camera, Fitzpatrick engaged in broken conversations after he completed each portrait. This interaction often involved showing images on the camera’s LCD screen, using hand gestures to communicate, lighting Double Happiness cigarettes, and sometimes sharing a meal.
This motivation was inspired by projects such as Chaila Travel (2007), a concept-based art initiative from Hainan province that brings together interdisciplinary scholars to explore the effects and sociopolitical aspects of urbanization in China. Fitzpatrick employed electric bikes to explore locations beyond Beijing’s fifth ring, including the shrinking rural areas surrounding Pingyao and other remote regions. A foreigner using this mode of transportation sometimes confused the local populations or authorities Fitzpatrick encountered, but it also allowed him to access areas off the beaten tourist path.
