Artist Blog

Every week an artist whose single image was published by Der Greif is given a platform in which to blog about contemporary photography.

"Kashgar, the former name of Kashi, the most western city in China. It was an important trading center since the time of the Silk Road, linking Central Asia and China. For centuries, the old city of Kashgar still retains the original streets and blocks found in old Islamic cities in Central Asia. History endowed the old city interconnected streets that resemble a spider web, the people living in it have a complex social structure. The adobe houses of earth construction are challenged by time and the changing climate, about 85% of the old city are planned to be renovated or reconstructed. How will the natives sustain their culture and identity in the judging eyes of outsiders and cope with the changes brought by the undergoing development? These photographs are not about ethnicity, religion or differences, but documents of everyday life. The old city of Kashgar is heading into the ocean of time as a giant vessel without steersman. I am witnessing and questioning the unstoppable inertia motion that carries this land of unease." YOU Li is a photographic artist currently based in Shenyang, China. Her work has been exhibited in Norway, UK, Japan, Taiwan and China. To view more of You's work, please visit her website.