wassinklundgren: empty bottles pékin fine arts, beijing, china june 20th to august 10th, 2009

empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

’empty bottles’ is a photographic collaboration between two young dutch artists groot wassink and ruben lundgren. the series is comprised of the portraits of 24 scavengers who are attracted to bottles which the wassinklundgren have put in front of the camera. the project captures and documents the real-life acts of recycling, which usually goes largely unnoticed but is an integral part of contemporary life in china. originally a photo book project, each ’empty bottle’ portrait is presented as a diptych alongside a blank institutional blue-green page of the same size, in homage to the color that is used in public municipal space around china.

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassinklundgren: 'empty bottles' at pekin fine arts, beijing empty bottles, c-print, 2005 40 x 50 cm, edition 10 + 1 A/P, 80 x 100 cm, edition 8 + 1 A/P image courtesy pékin fine arts

wassink (b. 1981, the netherlands) and lundgren (b. 1983, the netherlands) currently divide their live, work and study time between london and beijing.