Since the beginning of the 21st century, over half the world's population now dwell in cities. That means 3.3 billion people live on only 3% of the earth's surface.
What are the consequences of this shift?
Can the countryside survive the economic, demographic, cultural and ecological ravages of this abandonment?
Is a decent, humane life possible in the modern megalopolis that is bursting at its seams?
These are the questions that Noorderlicht is placing at the heart of its photo festivals for the coming two years.
We like to think of the countryside as idyllic: life in harmony with nature, in self-reliant communities where everyone knows everyone else and family ties are strong. Perhaps the work is hard, but it is truly satisfying. And Sundays there is the rest and regularity of strolling through the village.
That world – far distant from the impersonal roller coaster of the urban 24/7 economy – no longer exists. UN reports sketch a gloomy picture, particularly for rural life in the non-Western world. Poverty is the norm, social mobility is limited to the departure of the young, the countryside is ageing. In the West the decline in rural living standards is not yet that serious, but where would life in the countryside be without agricultural subsidies? Moreover, here we can also see how the level of services is crumbling and that population centers in rural regions are shrinking.
Land – Country Life in the Urban Age shows that the city and countryside have developed a symbiotic relationship. The city is the focus of economic and social activity; the country supports it. The consequences are far-reaching. Agriculture is oriented to large-scale production at minimal cost, the growing demand for agricultural products accelerates the destruction of the tropical rain forest, whole regions are allocated new uses as the result of increasing need for water, while the intensification of production with modern agricultural and bio-technologies leaves its own marks.
Add to that picture the continuing exploitation of increasingly scarce natural resources, and the economic and demographic consequences of migration to the cities, and it is clear: the countryside faces serious challenges in the 21st century.
— Text Courtesy of Noorderlicht Gallery.
FeatureLand Country Life in the Urban Age
An intelligent, thought-provoking group show depicts country life in the urban age, chosen from artists all over the world, including Jackie Nickerson, Nadav Kander, Munem Wasif, George Awde, Evzen Sobek (his image shown here), Larisa Sitar, Brigitte Grignet, Tessa Bunney, and Ian Teh. The...View Images
Feature
Land
Country Life in the Urban Age
An intelligent, thought-provoking group show depicts country life in the urban age, chosen from artists all over the world, including Jackie Nickerson, Nadav Kander, Munem Wasif, George Awde, Evzen Sobek (his image shown here), Larisa Sitar, Brigitte Grignet, Tessa Bunney, and Ian Teh. The...
Land Country Life in the Urban Age
An intelligent, thought-provoking group show depicts country life in the urban age, chosen from artists all over the world, including Jackie Nickerson, Nadav Kander, Munem Wasif, George Awde, Evzen Sobek (his image shown here), Larisa Sitar, Brigitte Grignet, Tessa Bunney, and Ian Teh. The introductory essay is loaded with facts, statistics and questions.
Trending this Week

Conceptual Photographs, the Neutral in Realism, and More
A short but wide-ranging conversation: from tactile, tangible connections to the photographic medium, to establishing an honest dialogue with portraiture.

Announcing the 2021 LensCulture Art Photography Award Winners!
Announcing the winners of the 2021 Art Photography Awards! Discover the 41 remarkable photographers who have been selected for their vision, innovation and creativity.

The Americans
This is the photo book that redefined what a photo book could be — personal, poetic, real. First published in 1959, Robert Frank’s masterpiece still holds up — the selection of photos, and their sequence and pacing is fresh, rich, generous, and...

As Immense as the Sky
Calling the past into the present, Meryl McMaster’s otherworldly self-portraits draw on her Indigenous and European heritage, channeling photography as a tool to reclaim and reimagine these intertwined histories.

26 Black-and-White Photography Favorites from LensCulture
LensCulture’s editors revisit 26 of the most popular recent articles that feature black-and-white photography – portfolios, essays, interviews, exhibitions and book reviews.

Bittersweet on Bostwick Lane
A poignant photographic examination of loss, grief, nature and healing — the top series winner in this year’s LensCulture Art Photography Awards.