Red China Portraits
This project is a photographic investigation the Chinese people's tentative shift from a communist to a capitalist system, as seen though dipictions of its indivduals.
As this ancient culture becomes an increasingly individualistic society, I wanted to photograph the change in China by photographing people I found in a busy Beijing street who dressed only in the traditional communist and nationlistic colour of red.
This series is documention of a country and a portrait of a people at a point of social upheaval and identity change. The subjects have been deliberately documented in the neutral surrounds of a blank backdrop to highlight the contrast of an indivduals personal identity versus that of a national identity.
2012
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/862547ae4404d24ce64eb28429d8c46efe85f90c8ecfef33ab08d01894393077/batt_paul_china_portraits_-5.jpg)
Untitled #1, 2012
Type C Print, 90 x 130cm
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/faf722c82ae91a36b27595085249b223a2d976afb6dae371b2e90cdb9bef3609/batt_paul_china_portraits_-6.jpg)
Untitled #5, 2012
Type C Print, 90 x 130cm
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/271982f1248cacd3fcee80240911472566220fef533845368ef5dafde71f06eb/batt_paul_china_portraits_-7.jpg)
Untitled #2, 2012
Type C Print, 90 x 130cm
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9e31ace685a605c1d5d05976d37a14c141019b518f8831fc9a3d9561fb3df2fd/batt_paul_china_portraits_-8.jpg)
Untitled #1, 2012
Type C Print, 90 x 130cm
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/03e53cf2b09a03b655e47fd3cdcbf2958b5fd73e366a4cef769020fffb37698f/.jpg)
Untitled #4, 2012
Type C Print, 90 x 130cm
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9688e6ff848bc51d1767cb340227c53df02c4b112822f3969c8824ab4b891ecf/batt_paul_china_portraits_-2.jpg)
Untitled #7, 2012
Type C Print, 90 x 130cm
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e63e5fcb66ca5176c13203f4ae92a0efc04b804b9864a5dd766e8ba99f0b66ed/batt_paul_china_portraits_-3.jpg)
Untitled #4, 2012
Type C Print, 90 x 130cm
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/a3f26b64dd1d13414d8d576735fc40ac3f7ebdcc0a14007602bd63c2cbcc64fb/batt_paul_china_portraits_-4.jpg)
Untitled #7, 2012
Type C Print, 90 x 130cm