Chinese artist Chen Qiulin’s new solo exhibition, Another Day, opens at A Thousand Plateaus Art Space, Chengdu on 27 October.

Bringing together video, installation and photography, Another Day is a documentative work created by Chen between 2014 to 2016. Shot in the remote mountainous regions of China’s southeastern Guizhou province, the project gives insight into the lives of local Dong women living in small villages.

The title Another Day alludes to the state of repetition for life in these areas of isolation, far from the heavily populated cities of mainland China. The work portraying the unique ethnic groups in their daily lifestyles in remote villages shows an entirely different world to modern urban life, where their culture, local customs and behaviours are handed down from generation to generation. Whilst one of the biggest social aspects is the lack of women’s rights in family life, which Chen attempts to address in her work.

Working primarily with moving image but also performance, photography and installation, Chen applies delicate observation and personal experience into her output. She is particularly interested in the realities for ordinary people living in China today, where in her practice she explores notions of memory, social injustice, rapid development and displacement while capturing a sense of nostalgia, confusion and hope.

For Another Day, the artist found awe in the traditional, almost idyllic norms of the people in this southwestern region, and attempts to portray their true indigenous characteristics that have been carried down throughout the generations. Chen uses a restrained and understated means to respond to historical problems in society and identity. This comes from her respect for life, where she believes individuals should be recognised and represented.

Another Day will be showing at A Thousand Plateaus Art Space, Chengdu, China from 27 October - 20th December 2018