"Sinomocene" (2014-2021) is a data-driven investigation that takes its cue from the documentation of the Chinese initiative known as "Belt and Road" to investigate more widely on issues of new forms of colonialism, globalisation and relation between Powers and individuals. My work focuses on the social and environmental impact of large movements of money capital linked to geopolitical strategies at the global and local level. Announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, BRI is a 1 trillion USD investment to lay the foundations for long-term economic growth across developing economies. The BRI aims to connect sixty-five percent of the world's population and link developing regions through hard infrastructure like roads, railways, ports, and even digital infrastructure. Because of the underlying geopolitical nature of any country's ambitions of international influence, this work pertains to some of the most urgent global issues of our time relating to soft power, cultural integration, environmental conservation, inclusive economic development, global power and fragmented sovereignty. As a storyteller with a background in photojournalism, art, and politics, I have always been interested in the various possible uses of photography in relation to other disciplines, such as history, politics, economics, and data. With 'Sinomocene', my goal is to make the extended social pyramid visible, where the apex is the enormous Chinese financial investment and the base is made of millions of individuals in the world affected by the strategy and policy such as the one of the BRI. This expansive body of work combines documentary photography, data visualisation, satellite geo analysis. More…
One of the images of 'Sinomocene' is the cover of AidData's new Belt and Road Reboot report.
An image of my long-term project "Sinomocene" has been included in Prix Pictet's publication "Human", a selection of outstanding photographs by both shortlisted and non-shortlisted nominees that best reflect the current cycle's theme.
Published by Hatje Cantz the publication includes a foreword by Sir David King, Chairman of the Prix Pictet Jury, together with essays by David Christian & Meehan Crist.
On the occasion of the review 'Photobooks | Dialogues on books and images' curated by Giulia Viale, I will present the book “Sinomocene” at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa together with Matteo Macor.
“The landscapes in Davide Monteleone’s images of China’s belt and road initiative are very familiar to me. We can see desert, uninhabited wasteland and views along the Yangtze River and in north-west China. There are also photographs showing the characters “Stay strong, Wuhan!” on skyscrapers in neon lights.
They are reminiscent of images I took in China, which captured dilapidated cities before they were rebuilt; energy plants; the development of impoverished areas and large-scale architecture. […]
Monteleone’s photographs are broad in scope and encompass many stories and strange landscapes. The Italian photographer began his project in Russia in 2014 before visiting vast rail and road projects across Asia; container ports; factories; casinos; and the Grand Renaissance dam in Ethiopia. The images clearly depict China’s strategic ambitions, very different from the original Silk Road, which operated from around 130BC until the mid-15th century. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes, whereas the belt and road initiative embeds a political ambition beyond commerce. The issue in question here is: who will be the centre of the world? Who will rise to world power?”
Ai Weiwei
“While there has been concern raised in the West, recently, regarding a possible end of Globalization as we know it, Davide Monteleone’s long-term project investigates the immense efforts by China to reshape the global movement of goods, services and capital by an infrastructure initiative known as “Belt and Road” or “New Silk Road”, and by doing so tilt the geopolitical balance towards the East. However, there is a certain break between the economic and geopolitical processes at work and how they are manifested in the real world. Much of it remains simply invisible or is too all-encompassing to be pictured, which poses a challenge to an artist working in photography and interested in presenting us with more than the facts. But Monteleone finds intriguing images that back up his extensive research and rich data that informs his stunning photographs.”
"Sinomocene" is a data-driven investigation that takes its cue from the documentation of the Chinese initiative known as "Belt and Road" to investigate more widely on issues of new forms of colonialism, globalisation and relation between Powers and individuals. The work focuses on the social and environmental impact of large movements of money capital linked to geopolitical strategies at the global and local levels. Announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, BRI is a 1 trillion USD investment to lay the foundations for long-term economic growth across developing economies.
The book, published by Artphilein Editions is the result of 8 years of work and contains texts by Ai Weiwei, Viraj Parikh, Miriam Zlobinski.
it will be available by the end of August.
“The landscapes in Davide Monteleone’s images of China’s belt and road initiative are very familiar to me. We can see desert, uninhabited wasteland and views along the Yangtze River and in north-west China. There are also photographs showing the characters “Stay strong, Wuhan!” on skyscrapers in neon lights.
Ai Weiwei
"Sinomocene: The Flow of the Money."
Miriam Zlobinsky interviewed me about my project on the Chinese economic footprint for ReVue.
The title "Sinomocene" is a free combination of ancient Greek and Latin words and, according to Davide Monteleone, explains his work: China, money, and new paths. In an interview with the photographer, Miriam Zlobinski explores how to create a visual experience out of a geopolitical issue. MORE..
In January 2022, I was invited to give a presentation of my project “Sinomocene” - a visual investigation about China’s economic initiative known as Belt and Road - at the National Geographic Storytelling Summit. In the video, I elaborate on the origin and challenges in the making project.
“The Italian photographer Davide Monteleone has spent nearly twenty years in Russia. It was there, on the eastern border, that he observed the beginnings of the Chinese "New Silk Roads" initiative announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013. A pharaonic investment of $1,000 billion aimed at strengthening the Middle Kingdom's presence in the world, through maritime, road and rail infrastructures. railways. A geopolitical enthusiast, the 48-year-old photographer three times awarded the prestigious World Press prize (2007, 2009 and 2011), embarked in 2014, in a vast enterprise of documentation of the impacts of this expansion. A project for which he received a grant from the National Geography Storytelling Fellows in 2019.”
Ethiopia-Djibouti’s chapter of my project Sinomocene is on the latest issue of Courrier International.
The Cambodian section of my latest project, Sinomocene, has been released on D La Repubblica magazine.
To discover more about the whole story, please click here.
I spent several years working on a project about Chinese’s economic footprints with the support, among others, of the National Geographic Society. While the whole project is just starting to be distributed, it is interesting to read the newest report by Aiddata accompanied by a couple of pictures from my project.
As one of the shortlisted artists for Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2020, I have been invited to the group show “People and Place: Leica Oskar Barnack Award 40th Anniversary”, to be held soon at Shanghai Center of Photography.
A selection of images from my ongoing project, Sinomocene, will be on show from November 28, 2020
The ”Sinomocene” project, already supported by National Geographic Society, is selected among the finalists for the prestigious Leica Oskar Barnack Award (LOBA) 2020.
“In his “Sinomocene” series, the Italian photographer (born 1974) explores the impact produced by the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which reflects China’s growing presence around the globe. Spanning four continents, the project is documented photographically on location in - among other places - Ethiopia, Djibouti, Italy, Cambodia and Kazakhstan.”
The two winners (main and newcomers) will be announced October 22nd.
I am glad to announce that I’ve been shortlisted among the ten finalists of 2020's Louis Roederer Discovery Award. The submitted project "Sinomocene", presented with the support of Heillandi Gallery and curator Hester Keijser, will be on show at Arles 2020 for the first time, from June 29th to September 20th.
For more info please visit the official website here.
Credits:
Davide Monteleone: Concept and imagery
Viraj Parikh: Lead of Economic and Data Analysis
Interactive Things ( Flore de Crombrugghe / Peter Gassner): Data Visualization
Data Sources:
AidData: Geocoded Global Chinese Official Finance
American Enterprise Institute: China Global Investment Tracker
Australian Strategic Policy Institute: Mapping China’s Tech Giants
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Overseas Diplomatic Missions
Hanban Institute: Confucius Institute Annual Development Report
International Monetary Fund: Direction of Trade Statistics
Kiel Institute for the World Economy: Working Paper 2132, China’s Overseas Lending
Transparency International: Corruptions Perceptions Index
United Nations World Tourism Organization: Bilateral Tourism Matrix
“The landscapes in Davide Monteleone’s images of China’s belt and road initiative are very familiar to me. We can see desert, uninhabited wasteland and views along the Yangtze River and in north-west China. There are also photographs showing the characters “Stay strong, Wuhan!” on skyscrapers in neon lights.
They are reminiscent of images I took in China, which captured dilapidated cities before they were rebuilt; energy plants; the development of impoverished areas and large-scale architecture. […]
Monteleone’s photographs are broad in scope and encompass many stories and strange landscapes. The Italian photographer began his project in Russia in 2014 before visiting vast rail and road projects across Asia; container ports; factories; casinos; and the Grand Renaissance dam in Ethiopia. The images clearly depict China’s strategic ambitions, very different from the original Silk Road, which operated from around 130BC until the mid-15th century. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes, whereas the belt and road initiative embeds a political ambition beyond commerce. The issue in question here is: who will be the centre of the world? Who will rise to world power?”
Ai Weiwei