Guangzhou Urban Village #1

An ‘Urban Village‘ in Guangzhou, China – A part of the city so dense that the buildings literally touch each other, giving them their Chinese name ‘kissing buildings’. Despite this romantic name, these districts suffer from sewage problems and infestations, it is thought that diseases such as Sars and Avian Bird Flu might have originated from urban conditions like these in Guangzhou where humans, animals and bacteria live in close quarters. These dense (almost tumor-like) cities within the city house entire economic ecologies with schools, temples, businesses, and markets embedded within them.

Artist Charlie Koolhaas’ folded photographic sculptures are charged with a low-tech hyper-reality that puts the viewer directly into the places, corners, and streets of various global cities like Guangzhou, Dubai and Rotterdam.