Images of European sculptures cast a spell in Qingdao

The Immortals of A City showcases images of sculptures in 15 European cities, which is an art project funded by Qingdao municipal government. Photos by Michele Stanzione/Provided to China Daily

An Italian photographer is showing his images of European sculptures in coastal China, Deng Zhangyu reports in Qingdao.

Italian photographer Michele Stanzione spent more than three months touring Europe while looking for sculptures to photograph. Images from his travels in 13 countries are now on show in East China in The Immortals of A City that opened in a popular shopping mall in Qingdao city in Shandong province. The local government commissioned and funded Stanzione's project, for which he traveled through 15 cities from August to November.

He visited the cities which have been named cultural capitals of Europe by the European Union since 1985 and searched for all kinds of sculptures in public spaces, such as parks and streets.

Stanzione snapped about 10,000 photos of the sculptures in Athens, Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, Copenhagen, Madrid, Dublin, Luxembourg and Antwerp, among other locations.

His exhibition in Qingdao displays 300 photos.

"It's a hard journey to find these sculptures. When I ask local people where the city's impressive sculptures are, most of them say they have no idea," says Stanzione, 34.

Before he set out on his journey, Stanzione and his team searched for related information online and in guide books, he says.