The “China Projects” exhibition comprises three different bodies of Wolf’s work that have never before been exhibited in the country: “100 x 100,” “Copy Artist,” and “The Real Toy Story.”
Focusing on a wide variety of subject matter, Wolf’s formal yet humanistic approach to photography raises various questions concerning modern development, manufacturing, consumerism and even the very nature of art itself.
“The Real Toy Story” was originally conceived as a large-scale installation. It features photographic portraits of Chinese toy factory workers, surrounded by 20,000 used plastic toys, all made in China. The work portrays the human presence behind mass-produced goods and provides viewers with a visceral, immersive experience that evokes the sensation of density endemic to urban areas of the region.
The “Copy Artist” series of portraits was photographed in the back alleyways of Shenzhen’s famous Dafen Art Village, where an estimated 5 million paintings are produced and copied each year, many of which are facsimiles of famous masterpieces. Stylistically similar to his “Back Door” series of photographs in Hong Kong, Wolf’s “Copy Artist” portraits wryly nudge the viewer to consider the very nature of art and artistry itself, all set against a backdrop of assembly-line-like mass production.
In “100 x 100,” Wolf focuses on 100 apartments (each 100 square feet) in the oldest housing development in Hong Kong, which is slated for demolition. The series explores the concept of “personal space” in Hong Kong, with 100 photographs that document the human urge to create a distinct individuality through personal details amid massive monotony.
Michael Wolf, Corner Houses
