Long Live the Motherland, Shanghai No. 1

Photographer Chen Man says that she looks to China for inspiration. "The more modernized we become," the artist says, "the more I feel the need for Chinese traditional philosophical thought in our every[day] lives. In my work I aspire to make visual illustrations of traditional Chinese culture using modern aesthetics."* This photograph is from Chen Man's Motherland series, which uses iconic locations in China as backdrops for her models. With a view toward Shanghai's Pudong skyscrapers, the photographer created this work for the 2010 Shanghai Expo, which hosted more than seventy­ three million visitors. Unlike many of Chen Man's fantastical photographs, this image is untouched by post-production technology. *Chen Man, i-D (December 10, 2014).