Artist’s Statement
China has called to me for a long time, since the Mao era, in fact. In 2003, for my first trip, I chose to land in Shanghai, because this megalopolis of 17 million inhabitants represents the reality of China’s rush to modernization for me. In 2006, Leblanc travelled a second time to China, exploring other regions such as Beijing and the Yunnan Province, the most ethnically diverse in the country.
China’s accelerated transformation has profoundly changed Chinese society. The rapidly changing relationship of the people to their work and living spaces makes fascinating subject matter for a photographer. Leblanc’s photographs and keen sense of observation give us a glimpse of China’s contrasts and large diversity, sometimes surprising, sometimes touching.
Biography
Jean-François Leblanc has worked as a documentary photographer since 1984. In 1987, he founded the Agence Stock Photo collective (a benchmark in Quebec) with two other photographers who share his love for photojournalism.
He has always pursued a sustained artistic approach. A recipient of many Canada Council grants, he has been exhibiting his work since 1984 in Montreal and abroad, most notably in Mexico, in Europe and at the Rencontres Internationales de la Photo d’Arles in France.
In 1995, he won the Prix de la photographie de plateau, awarded by Les Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois. He was also a finalist in the Lux Québec et Lux Canada competitions and won the 2004 Grand Prize in the Photography Book category.
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