Wild Grass

INTRODUCTION
 
Growing up in a small town in southern China during the strict execution of the one-child policy in the 1980s, JT witnessed the heartbreaking reality of a newborn girl being abandoned due to economic hardships. In 2014, he encountered some "left-behind children" while travelling, whose resilience and vitality left a deep impression on him. Reflecting on their struggles and the uncertain future they faced, JT couldn't help but wonder about the fate of the abandoned newborn girl from childhood memory.
 
This experience led the photographer to embark on the "Wild Grass" project, documenting the lives of children in unofficial orphanages across the country. Many of these children suffer from physical and/or mental disabilities, but most of them are not registered in the official system of household, which prevents them from obtaining basic social care and medical support through the social welfare system. JT’s visits to these orphanages revealed the challenges they face, including funding shortages and a lack of specialized knowledge in caring for disabled children. Despite these obstacles, he lived among the children, seeking to understand their daily lives and provide them with a voice through photography.
 
 
ABOUT ARTIST
 
JT is a documentary photographer and artist who lives and works in France. His work has long been focused on marginalized groups in society, dedicating himself to exploring the complex relationships between social issues such as poverty, urbanization, new immigration, and specific ethnic communities.
 
During his extended stays in remote areas of China, he began his first long-term documentary project, "Wild Grass," which explores the living conditions of orphans in rural China. This series garnered him the Gold Prize at the International Photography Awards in 2017.
 
In 2016, JT started the second part of this trilogy: "Curse of the Wind: A History of Leprosy." Using distinct approaches, he documented the living environment, social structure, and pathological characteristics of the last remaining villages and communities affected by leprosy. This work earned him the Bourse du Talent award in 2019 and the Musée Albert-Kahn Prize in 2021.
 
 
SPECIFICATIONS
 
Photographs and text: JT
ISBN: 978-2-9585094-2-2
Publication date: September 2024