Ronghui Chen becomes one of the winners of BarTur Photo Award 2020
Ronghui Chen has just been announced as one of the winners of the renowned BarTur Photo Award 2020 in recognition of his series ‘Petrochemical China,’ which examines East China’s changing landscapes under the effects of its petrochemical industry.
Ronghui Chen is a Chinese photographer and storyteller based in Shanghai, whose work focuses on China’s urbanization. Known for his interest in the issues arising from the position of the individual within the urbanization and industrialization of China, Chen published his first collection of photographs named Chen Ronghui, now part of China’s Contemporary Photography Catalog. Now he is a graduate student at Yale School of Art.
Petrochemical China Ronghui Chen (b.1989, China）
‘The Yangtze River delta is both one of the country’s most prosperous regions and home to its largest concentration of petrochemical refineries. Here chemical plants stand mere hundreds of meters away from residential districts — with no obvious barriers between them. “Cancer villages” are an increasingly common phenomenon, and traditional lifestyles based on farming and fishing are fading away. Over the past few years I have driven 30 thousand kilometers and made countless trips to the scene in order to document the aftermath.’ — Ronghui Chen
Petrochemical China Ronghui Chen (b.1989, China）
In the winter of 2013, a panic broke out in my hometown, as residents rushed to buy bottled water after the city river was polluted by the chemical plants situated upstream. In many places, taking photos of industrial waste is forbidden, and it was months before I was able to photograph the plants responsible — and then only from a distance. Over the past few years, I have driven 20 thousand kilometers and made countless trips to the scene in order to document the aftermath.
Petrochemical China Ronghui Chen (b.1989, China）
Petrochemical China Ronghui Chen (b.1989, China）
As a winner, Ronghui Chen will receive a $3,000 cash prize and have his work exhibited in London, Paris, Berlin, Łódź in Poland, and Copenhagen in Denmark.
About BarTur Photo Award :
The BarTur Photo Award is a not for profit organization conceived in 2011 by entrepreneur Amnon BarTur, with aims to celebrate the immense power photography has in influencing the way that we understand and engage with the world around us.
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Ronghui Chen one of the winners of the renowned BarTur Photo Award 2020 in recognition of his series ‘Petrochemical China’