The Ruler vs. The People: A Story About the USA and China by Oliver Kristen
Oliver Kristen is a young fashion and lifestyle photographer from Berlin, Germany. His work is centred around the aesthetics and finer tones of streetwear, using film only, always focusing on the use of natural lighting and colors.
Having admired the big apple from afar for a lot of his life, Oli Kristen, born and raised in southern Germany, was finally afforded the opportunity to visit New York in 2017 and was able to catch a glimpse of the different and deep-rooted cultures there, first hand.
Previously only being able to reference and rely on impressions about the city from movies and tv shows, Oliver was now catapulted to everything unfolding in front of him, subsequently lending him to document everything before him. One of his powerful series of image sets and of the moment was captured during September 2019 and follows the strong but not often seen connection between China and the USA:
The Ruler vs. The People: A Story About the USA and China
words and pictures by Oliver Kristen
One of the most dominant topics in the media this year is the trade war between USA and China in 2019. If you haven't heard about it yet, here is a short summary: The USA, as well as China (the world's two largest economies), imposed customs duties on goods worth billions of dollars.
Trump's goal is to encourage consumers to buy American products. China’s answer to this with an increase in customs duties on goods from the USA. It is the largest trade war in economic history to date. Even though there are negotiations on arbitration between both countries, both rulers seemed not to be seeking peace in 2019.
Quite contrary to this war, the Chinese and American people in New York celebrate together on the long-standing friendship. Last year I accidentally ran into the celebration of the Chinese-American friendship and was overwhelmed by the peaceful togetherness. It is amazing how this big Chinese community is conscious and thankful for the opportunities they have in the USA. All in all, it is impressive how both nations live and celebrate together while the rulers do the opposite and wage a business war.
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