Industrial heritage inspires new creative outlooks

After weeks of relentless spring rain, French-German artist Alexandre Dupeyron finally navigated the decaying corridors and broken staircases of an abandoned coal mining area in Ningxiang, Hunan province. His footsteps stirred the dust that had settled over scattered debris.

Dupeyron picked up a small fragment of coal from the floor. Remnants of the conveyor that once carried coal through the facilities, stretched like a skeletal staircase against the sky. This humble lump of coal, glittering faintly in the sunlight, became the raw material for his artwork.

"I've been working with crushed coal here, blending drawing and photography," said Dupeyron, 43, who arrived at the former Wumuchong coal mine area in early March for a one-month artist's residency.

In his temporary studio, Dupeyron ground coal and brick fragments gathered from the area into fine powder, filtering it multiple times. With his own recipe, he planned to use the powder to create pigments — for drawings, photographs and artworks born from the substance of the mine area.

One of the recurring themes in his artwork is the relationship between people and nature, Dupeyron said.

As an artist exploring the changing urban landscape, Dupeyron has always wanted to work at a former industrial site. "This place is amazing," he said.