Exhibit: Galerie Shadows presents Cultures in Transition Photographs by Oliver Klink.

Oliver Klink Klink explores subtleties of people life, their spiritual guiding light. Photographs are of exotic places and people, yet they connect deeply to what it means to be human. They are about survival. They are about the Spirit, Heart, and Soul in us all.  

Location: Galerie Shadows, 16 bis rue du Grand-Prieure, Arles, France

Dates: July 1- Sept. 22, 2019

Click here for additional info on Gallerie Shadows

Cultural Events: 

Opening Reception: Thursday, July 4, 6 – 8PM featuring a book signing with Oliver Klink and presentation. 

Artist Statement:

Being raised in the relatively homogeneous land of Switzerland in a small farming community, I was completely in awe of the incredible diversity, both in the environment and the culture of China. China seemed to be a country in rapid transition, from agrarian to urban, from antiquated to modern, from a historical relic to a future superpower. The images I took on that trip were less than stellar, but I felt a spark within me to further explore China and other Asian cultures. Over 30 visits later, Cultures in Transition was born.

Cultures in Transition aims at showing the changes that people go through, the subtleties that make their life evolve, the spiritual guiding light. I resisted depicting the visual transitions, such as the new electronic devices, the high-rise buildings going up like mushrooms, the freeways built as quickly as sand castles, the modern transportation, the influence of western clothing, the packaged food and the old villages turned into tourist attractions.

Cultures in Transition is about something deeper, something that it took time to observe, to detect, and to understand. I watched people, and I started to feel their emotions about change, their worries, their acceptance. I witnessed them falling behind, trying to hold on to their comfort zones, their culture, and their spirituality. Everyone that I interacted with described transition differently, but one thing that was common was that the typical visual signs of "progress" were the least of their worries. The loss of emotional connection with themselves and their communities was their most significant concern. These people lived their lives on Spirit, Heart, and Soul.

Geir Jordahl (Publisher, True North Editions) writes: “Klink’s images transcend borders without homogenizing very distinct peoples, nationalities, and cultures. The uniqueness of each is present, yet Klink asks us to see the links between them and to see ourselves within each tribe. He connects us through the use of common bonds, gestures, and expressions. In this way the personalities of his subjects shine through – their emotion, their joy, their connections with each other and, by association their connection to the viewer.”

Press Coverage:

Voies Off Magazine