Real dreams: photographs from China

Abstract

For 'Real Dreams' (2021), photographer Ruben Lundgren traveled through China for six years on commission for De Volkskrant, among others. This book, through its 75 images, provides a humorous reflection on the country, with its own unique aesthetic. Recurring themes are the eager embrace of technology, the changing political climate and the malleability of photojournalism. Ruben Lundgren (born 1983) is a Dutch photographer and curator of Chinese photography. He has been living in Beijing since 2007, where he graduated from the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts. He broke through as part of the photographer duo WassinkLundgren with the publication Empty Bottles (2007). He worked with Martin Parr for eight years on a history of the Chinese photo book that resulted in The Chinese Photobook (2015) published by Aperture in New York. In addition, he curated the exhibition Anything That Walks (2018) for the Jimei x Arles Photo Festival, with a stylish collection of user photography; and for BredaPhoto, the acclaimed exhibition China Imagined (2020) with an overview of contemporary Chinese photography.