Serindia Gallery ANNEX # Postcards From China

Serindia Gallery’s first Instagram photo exhibition at the ANNEX and a new book launch — POSTCARDS FROM CHINA 来自中国的明信片 is a penetrating collection of spontaneous, of-the-moment images that go straight to the heart of life. Counting down from Day 100 — in the back of a motorcycle rickshaw – Booz Morejohn takes on modern Chengdu, observing her surroundings with a keen eye and sharp perspective gained from three decades of reflection on China. Her broad range of subjects include street fashion, pandas, food delivery men, bubble tea, baby split pants, garbage recycling, transport and habits of the mega-rich.

Photographed with only a smartphone – and originally posted on the popular social media app Instagram – #ChinaCountdown – Booz Morejohn shared her great affection for China with an online global audience ranging from homesick Sichuanese to local expats to China travel wannabes.

Swedish-American photographer and writer Ingrid Booz Morejohn lived in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, from 2006-2014. With just over three months to go before moving away, she began a photographic countdown to record her last 100 days. These quirky portraits of local inhabitants and their daily life affectionately describe Chengdu as she came to know and love it over a period of many years. She first traveled to China as a backpacker in 1985 and frequently visited Chengdu, staying at the infamous – now demolished – underground bomb shelter Black Coffee Hostel for a dollar a night. Over the next 30 years she traveled to every province in the country, writing and photographing several books on Chinese culture.