Photographer : Jayanta Guha
Location : Complexe CEGERDEV
Jayanta Guha started taking photographs from the age of seven. His philosophy as a photographer is summed up in his poem “A photographer’s dream.” He believes that the beauty of art is in the eye of the beholder. His exhibitions have been supported by organisations such as Centre National d’Exposition, Musée du Fjord, Alcan Ltd., UNESCO, the city of Montréal and others. Jayanta Guha’s photographs have been exhibited in various cities in Canada, India and China and his work has been subject to documentaries.
Freeing itself from the yokes of the “cultural revolution” and the opening of its borders, it is no longer a secret that the winds of change are rapidly changing China.
Although there is no dearth of photo-essays depicting this change, be it in terms of urban development, lifestyle, fashion, or transportation systems, we seldom see the lens looking down at feet to take notice of an explosion of styles and colours of the footwear expressing this new found liberty. Gone are the stereotype canvas shoes so prevalent in the aftermath of the austerity of the seventies and the early eighties. This is more so the case for women’s footwear however styles for male footwear, especially for the young, are not far behind.
Here is a photojournalistic approach with a certain bit of humour to depict the change in China seen through their footwear.