Beijing Pink (2006)

Manit Sriwanichpoom, the Thailand photographer, has come up with a unique variation on his prestigious Pink Man Series. His latest work, Beijing Pink, is the most recent in a decade. In this new series a Pink Trolley (Shopping cart), replaces the Pink Man as the important symbol attacking the apparent present day globalization, and consumerism. The Pink Trolley, as the ghost spirit of consumerism, is found conspicuously around Beijing while the city is enjoying a period of high speed development. The shopping cart is silently witnessing changing scenes between the old “things”, and the new “things”, revealing a cunning expression of conflicts of dialogue between things being highlighted, or ignored, and between those who had the discourse of power, and those who lose it. The 18 pictures in this series explore the meaning of objects in the social scenery, while relying on the conversation between the Pink shopping cart and these objects. The new Beijing Pink varies from the folly shown in the former Pink Man series. Contradictions pop out from the silent scenes disclosing the vanity of worshipping wealth and power as crucial characteristics in the growth of the city. An allegorical creation is extended with Beijing Pink. Manit turns the social observation and critique into poetic symbolization, and opens questions about reality. Highland Gallery Beijing