Xin He: Better City, Better Life
January 25–February 25, 2023
Student Gallery
Xin He’s exhibition Better City, Better Life presents the transformation, from 2005 to 2009, of land along the Huangpu River in Shanghai to accommodate the 2010 World Expo. This 523-hectare site remains the largest in the Expo’s history. His images of the changes in land use reflect the past and present of Chinese development and offer insights into a future in which China’s power is increasingly tied to the fluxes and pressures of the international economy.
Events
Reception for Xin He: Better City, Better Life
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
6–8 pm ET
Registration required via EventBrite
All events take place at The Image Centre (33 Gould St., Toronto) unless otherwise noted.
![Red identification folded card with faded text and small photograph of Chinese man](https://theimagecentre.ca/media/resized/medium/02_Better_CityBetter_Life2008pigment_print1622X1622_poJdwek.jpeg)
Xin He, Interior of buildings to be demolished (detail), 2007, inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist
![Deteriorated structures made of cement and steel with wires strung between them and rubble on the ground](https://theimagecentre.ca/media/resized/medium/01_Better_CityBetter_Life2007pigment_print2022X822.jpeg)
Xin He, Shanghai No. 3 Steel Farm, 2008, inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist
![Two Chinese people lay on a bed looking up. Running across the top of the photograph is a film negative projection](https://theimagecentre.ca/media/resized/medium/03_Better_CityBetter_Life2010pigment_print2022X1622.jpeg)
Xin He, Better Life, 2010, inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist
Installation Shots
![An installation view looking into the student gallery](https://theimagecentre.ca/media/resized/medium/055-BetterCityBetterLife-TIC-W23.jpg)
Xin He: Better City, Better Life (installation view), 2023 © James Morley, The Image Centre
![An installation view in the Student Gallery](https://theimagecentre.ca/media/resized/medium/067-BetterCityBetterLife-TIC-W23.jpg)
Xin He: Better City, Better Life (installation view), 2023 © James Morley, The Image Centre
![An installation view of the Student Gallery](https://theimagecentre.ca/media/resized/medium/068-BetterCityBetterLife-TIC-W23.jpg)
Xin He: Better City, Better Life (installation view), 2023 © James Morley, The Image Centre