China At Paléo

For the last 3 years, I have been avidly documenting the underground music scene of Beijing. From the late 2 Kolegas to Mao and Temple Bar, I’ve taken my camera to many of the dusty and beer-flowing venues of the city – capturing the sweat, the spirit and the crazy energy that was both on stage and in the audience.
 It’s always a joy to see more and more local bands tour Europe and the US to make their music heard and appreciated worldwide. 
When Swiss Festival PALÉO announced the line-up of their 2015 edition with a special focus on Asia, it was incredible to see no less than 7 Chinese bands scheduled to play at such an important festival in the heart of Europe, alongside historically relevant names such as Patti Smith, Joan Baez and Robert Plant.
 Such a rare event could not go undocumented! That’s why, with the invaluable assistance of the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing, I went to PALÉO Festival to photograph these 7 days of music and fun and keep a trace of this cultural exchange between China and Switzerland. For once, this was not about political or economic relationships but rather about culture, art and music, celebrating the youth and bridging the gap between two countries far apart, yet both burgeoning with talent and energy. These photographs are here to bring some of the exciting experience of Paléo Festival to Beijing and remind us all of the universality of music, as a mean to reach out and connect internationally and across all generations.