Shanghai Sacred (2013-16) uncovers the multi-layered religious identities, spaces, beliefs and practices inscribed on the map of a metropolis that sees itself as the cradle of Chinese ‘modernity’, an international financial centre and a hub of cultural and religious diversity. This in-depth photographic and written work is the result of an intensive three-year collaborative research project by Benoît Vermander Professor in the department of religious studies at Fudan University, Shanghai, acclaimed photographer/anthropologist Liz Hingley and the researcher Zhang Liang 张靓 of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
Hingley’s photographs intimately document the creativity of religious practitioners, both locals and outsiders, when creating ‘sacred space’ in Shanghai’s dense restless urban environment. There are only five ‘official’ religions in China, however Hingley’s images uncover the burgeoning of various new folk beliefs and spiritual activities of many other groups below the surface, including not only Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Catholics and Protestants but also Jewish, Baha’i, Hindu, Sikh, Quaker and Russian Orthodox communities.
Born and raised in Birmingham, a UK city which is home to over 180 nationalities, Liz Hingley applies the analytical lens of anthropology with the expressive medium of photography to illuminate systems of belonging and belief that shape societies around the world. Rooted in community engagement, her ethnographic approach seeks to cultivate dialogue between disciplines and cultures through the careful sharing of stories. Through publications, awards, workshops and exhibitions, in locations ranging from galleries to gardens, from hospitals to streets, her work reaches international audiences.
