Beizhuanzi II, Siming District, Xiamen

Artist Sze Tsung Nicolás Leong American, British, and Mexican, born 1970

Date2004

MediumChromogenic print

Dimensions60 x 75 in. (152.4 x 190.5 cm)
Frame: 74 x 89 1/2 in. (188 x 227.3 cm)

ClassificationsPhotography

Credit LineGift of Allen G. Thomas Jr. in honor of Lawrence J. Wheeler

Object number2014.14.37

On View

Not on view

Label TextIn his series History, Sze Tsung Leong provides viewers with a powerful view of the monumental and rapid urban change occurring in 21st century China. With vast architectural landscapes that are curiously absent their millions of inhabitants Leong brings a unique perspective and sense of space to the photography of cities.

In Beizhuanzi II, Siming District, Xiamen, two crumbling buildings from China’s Communist era hunch over in sharp contrast to a towering modern building in the foreground. With a clear contrast but unresolved relationship between the old and the new Leong suggests multiple implications of history: histories destroyed, histories yet uncertain, and histories that seem inevitable.
[L. Dougherty, 2014]ProvenanceCreated Xiamen, China, 2004; collection of the artist; [Yossi Milo Gallery, New York]; Allen G. Thomas Jr., Wilson, NC; given to NCMA, 2014.
Published ReferencesSze Tsung Leong: History Images (Göttingen: Steidl, 2006), illus (color) 23.Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “The Big Picture,” March 18–September 2, 2007.

Boone, NC, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, “Men Working: The Contemporary Collection of Allen Thomas, Jr.,” July 5, 2013–February 8, 2014.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Private Eye: Allen G. Thomas Jr. Photography Collection,” September 13, 2014–March 22, 2015.
Object Rights Statement

The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) makes images of its collection available online to support research and scholarship and to inform and educate the public. Certain works of art, as well as the photographs of those works of art, may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not owned by the NCMA. The responsibility for ascertaining whether any such rights exist and for obtaining all other necessary permissions remains with the applicant. To request images and/or permissions from the NCMA, please complete our online request form.