The Beijing bus series was conceived and created in 2007, in a city then in full ferment and transformation. The 2008 Olympics were approaching, economic growth was frantic, and pollution was reaching appalling heights. While some people rushed to capture and preserve images of the old world and of Beijing before its destruction, I wanted to capture the fever driving China and its capital towards a better world.

Despite the grey days, the fog over the city, the colossal demolitions and the construction of skyscrapers, there was a bubbling, contagious optimism. At the time there were only two metro lines, and the colourful buses were the main form of public transport. The series was shown in a group exhibition by the art collective METAESTETICA, and at an event supporting the NGO Couleurs de Chine.