Zhang Ning is technically an amateur photographer, but that doesn't mean her images can't physically make your brain spin. The 51-year-old Chinese artist, who hails from Dongguan, Guangdong, snapped devastatingly beautiful photos of rice terraces during her travels throughout her native country. The images' electric greens and bold yellows provide a sharp contrast to the fuzzy oranges and piercing blues, creating a vibrant abstraction that is so intense it nearly vibrates.
The acidic photographs explore the manufactured quality of China's agricultural landscapes, many of which now resemble the manmade patterns you'd find on a sweater. For the past 2,500 years, these farms have been sites of constant transformation to achieve the most fertile ground. As stunning as Zhang's images are, they also point to the dark undertones and harsh conditions of farm life that shape the lives of so many. The space between natural and artificial, function and beauty, creates a tension both visual and conceptual that rings throughout the images.
"These pictures show how beautiful the landscape is, and they also send a message that it is a very tough and harsh life for those who have shaped the landscape," Zhang explained to DesignTaxi. "The provinces, located in southwest China, are where the landscapes are very hilly and people have to make the most of the mountains. They build these spectacular terraces for more effective farming."
See the surprisingly psychedelic landscapes below and let us know your thoughts in the comments. For more examples of artwork embedded on the surface of the earth, check out Bernhard Edmaier's work here.
