"The tank man" photograph hand signed by Stuart Franklin.

Dimensions: 15 x 15 cm

Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China. June 4, 1989.

“In June 1989, following the Beijing massacre, a man walked into the path of a line of tanks leaving Tiananmen Square and entering the history books. It was an unexpected act of defiance, it was also brave. More than thirty years later there is still so much we don't know: what happened to the man, why he was carrying two shopping bags and the nature of his exchange with the tank crew. I hope that one day we will know more."

Stuart Franklin combines a direct documentary style with a strong personal vision. He has photographed some of the major news events of the 21st century and has produced many acclaimed personal projects, exploring topics related to the Anthropocene. Franklin says his practice "repaints the boundaries of the documentary in order to create a sense of freedom." His main interest today is to produce work, mainly on nature-society relations, which is open to multiple interpretations.
His work has been published in numerous global publications including The Guardian, Sunday Times Magazine, Geo, Art Magazine, Harper's Magazine, National Geographic Magazine.