Abstract of the accomplished photographic work
My work explores new architectural typologies of speculative ultra-luxury real estate—properties designed solely for storing the surplus capital of the global superrich. Despite their grand architecture and aspirational marketing, these developments are rarely lived in. Their main purpose is to store the surplus capital of their ultra-wealthy buyers —and of course to generate jaw-dropping returns for the development companies.
The uploaded photographs contain images of three projects: in ‘Private Views’ I documented the views of the most exclusive high-rise properties of Manhattan, while pretending to be an ultra-wealthy Hungarian buyer. ‘Jing Jin City’ is the exploration of a luxury resort town near Beijing that has remained largely unoccupied and where I created an installation series made of leftover building materials. And in ‘Manmade’ and documentation of the largely uninhabited luxury villa landscapes of the reclaimed Islands of Dubai.
I have also added installation views.
Description of the project you intend to pursue through the Prize
As a result of the Gabriele Basilico Prize, I will publish ASSET TOWN, a research-based photography book examining the multifaceted impacts of ultra-high-end real estate speculation on contemporary architecture and urbanism. The book will highlight how these developments contribute to a spectrum of ecological, social, and economic consequences—both locally and globally.
ASSET TOWN will feature a range of speculative luxury real estate typologies: supertall luxury residential towers in Manhattan, underground “iceberg” homes in London built for the superrich, unoccupied villas on Dubai’s man-made islands, and the vast, largely uninhabited luxury resort town of Jing Jin City.
For the completion of the content I will make one final trip to Dubai for further documentation and research. For the book, I will only use film photography. The book will also incorporate adapted texts from my PhD dissertation, providing a critical framework for understanding these architectural phenomena.