“Places!, Hengdian World Studios,” 2015 photography
Washington D.C.-based photographer Mark Parascandola is currently presenting his new photography collection, “China Film,” at the BlackRock Center for the Arts in Washington D.C., U.S., as part of an exhibition entitled “Washington Produced Artists.”
The collection features a photograph of an Iberian-style structure that some believe may represent Portuguese-ruled Macau.
Parascandola is known for his photographs of abandoned film sets in Spain’s southern Almeria area. His latest exhibition has taken him to Chinese movie studios near Shanghai, where the busy content of his images – populated this time with human presence – contrasts with the barren and empty shots of Almeria’s film sets.
According to the Washington Post, the exhibition features a range of interesting shots of film sets. One picture shows a real building poised behind hollow, fake structures, which are widely used in filming locations.
Another photograph features an imperial palace, while a third shows a drawing of Chairman Mao.
A photograph of a Westernized mid-
century Shanghai film set, thought to depict a 1930s-style Nanjing Road, is also included in the collection. The Nanjing Road construction consists of several blocks of Shanghai’s famous shopping district, with a historical street signs in English.
The Washington Project for the Arts (WPA) is holding the exhibition to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the group’s inaugural exhibition. The collaborating artists consist of individuals from the D.C. metro area who have previously worked in conjunction with the WPA on significant artistic creations.
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