Larry Hallegua’s photographs have been described as “bittersweet moments” and “fanciful characters frozen into bizarre activities”.They have been exhibited in Germany, at the esteemed Iserlohn Stadtische gallery, as well as many other countries including the USA, and the UK. In 2014, Larry became a finalist in Fotoura’s International Street Photography Awards, as well as the winner of Magnum’s Swapshop contest in 2017 and the series winner of Bangkok’s Street Photography Festival in 2020. He’s also a member of the Observe street photography collective
About The Collection
MADE IN CHENGDU
In 2014 I moved to China to teach English in a primary school for one year. I was based in the west, in Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan province.
During this time Chengdu had a growing population of over 14 million, and was one of China’s ‘pilot reform regions’. The city was experiencing rapid economic growth, resulting in heavy investment in infrastructure, such as a fast expanding metro and rail system, as well as the building of new schools to cater for the large migration of rural workers and increasing urbanisation.
I was among only a handful of foreigners living in Xipu on the outskirts of the city, and would receive daily stares from locals who rarely saw or mixed with foreigners. I used my camera to record, albeit in a whimsical manner, some of the behaviours of a city experiencing a growing sense of self confidence.
