Part 2: Freezing Land

Last week, a polar vortex parked itself over my city. Even though I grew up with freezing, snowy winters, this cold felt particularly punishing. For me, extreme cold creates the sensation of being encapsulated in an isolated bubble. It is a sphere of inhabitable space in an otherwise inhospitable habitat; a small shell of livable, breathable heat and air that separates me from the numbing exterior.

It is interesting to discover Ronghui Chen’s work, Freezing Land, while experiencing my own season of cold. Chen is photographing youth in the shrinking cities of Northeast China. His images are made during the winter, where temperatures are often ‑22 F. When I see his images, I see young, lonely people inhabiting their own bubbles.

- Mia