Mountains and Waters is Alexander Gronsky’s profound photographic study of the contemporary Chinese landscape. Drawing inspiration from the traditional “shan shui” (mountain-water) painting style, Gronsky captures the paradoxical coexistence of ancient natural aesthetics and aggressive modern urbanization. Using a large-format camera and his signature distant, elevated perspective, he depicts coastal construction sites, smog-filled valleys, and massive infrastructure projects that dwarf the human figures within them. The work serves as a contemplative observation of a country in a state of hyper-development, where the boundaries between the natural and the artificial are perpetually blurred.
