When photographer Katrín Elvarsdóttir went to China with her husband in
2010 for the first time to adopt their daughter, Elva Qi, she was intrigued by
the textures and colors of the country. Her plan was not to produce a book of
photographs taken in China but two years later in blazing heat her then 4-year
old daughter was walking with her through the hutongs of Beijing. She pointed
at a pile of bricks and said: “Mom, look! Don’t you want to photograph this?!”
And she was right – Katrín did want to photograph it. And a whole lot more.
Shot in Beijing and Pingyao over a period of four years on three separate
trips, Double Happniess encapsulates Elvarsdóttir‘s experience and view of this
unfamiliar environment, one that became increasingly familiar with every visit.