Daniel Hinks is a documentary photographer, visual artist, and educator who splits his time between China and the UK.
His work focuses mainly on stories charged with deep personal resonance, in a perpetual effort to channel emotions such as resilience and the human spirit into powerful visual narratives.
From Hinks, we present two projects: ‘Fish for Future?’ and ‘The Weekenders: West of Society,’ both strongly aligned with his artist statement.
In ‘Fish for Future?’ (fully titled ‘The Sunshiners: Code Red in Green China’), Hinks aims to explore and raise awareness of the environmental crisis that concerns the Chinese fishing industry and culture. Hinks conveys the message in a remarkably creative way. Through the symbolic use of external pollutants in his photography and the incorporation of seawater-developed negatives, Hinks is trying to sound the alarm on an issue that impacts the lives of 40% of China’s population, highlighting the grim warning that “by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish.”
On the other side of the map, Hinks relives his years as a youngster in the underground subculture of the “chaotic world of hard-skating, drug-taking party animals from Cannock,” an old coal-mining town in the West Midlands, UK. ‘The Weekenders: West of Society’ is an unapologetic photobook that touches on topics such as identity, rebellion, and economic hardship, and a tribute to unspoken law and familial bonds.
Artist’s Note:
The Sunshiners; Code Red in Green China
Fish for Future?
“By 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea than fish!
China’s domestic waters have suffered decades of water pollution, vast urbanisation, climate change, and rising sea levels. Coastlines have been reshaped, fisheries emptied out; the question remains, how much longer can this go on, and can designated fishing ports and the marine climate change program fix China’s overfishing and plastic pollution problem?
For the 40% of China’s population that live on the coast, the ocean is central to their lives. The ocean is not only a source of food and livelihoods but also an intrinsic part of their culture and heritage. […] The sunshiners is a body of work that explores the complexities of plastic and ocean pollution, overfishing, and rising sea levels in the coastal regions of China.
As a photographer for social change, I have questioned the representation of plastic pollution and climate change and how to avoid generic depiction of these issues. Thus, how can my work essentially grasp the reality of the issues I observe.
For this reason, I adopted a creative approach, adding external pollutants as symbolism to my photographs that represent startling facts and are geographically linked to the people and places that I photograph. I use acetate sheets and seawater-developed negatives to take us back and forth between the reality of the present and the deterioration that is yet to come if we do not adapt and change our ways.”
Artist’s Note:
The Weekenders; West of Society
“As a participant and observer, I immerse myself in the vibrant, chaotic world of hard-skating, drug-taking party animals from Cannock, a small, old coal mining town in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. This was my adolescence, and these were my best friends—my family.
Through my lens, I delve into the underground skateboarding and drug culture—a world unknown to many—where consciousness expansion and frenzied trips often flirt with the edge of psychotic breakouts.
Join me on a wild ride across city streets, skateparks, garages, and raucous parties. I drag you through the blood, mud, sweat, and tears of the skateboarding alternative. This journey is more than just about sex, drugs, and adolescent rebellion; it’s about the complex, often seductive pull of drugs and the misunderstood lives of those who succumb to it.
Reflecting the location and identity of young people in the West Midlands, capturing their hopes, ambitions, frustrations, and nascent morality as they navigate the responsibilities of adulthood. It is a blend of hinterland and heterotopia, depicting the lives of youth growing up in a region marred by economic hardship and societal shifts.
Embedded within this subculture, I reveal the lives of “Team Bifta,” a group of skaters bound not by blood but by a kinship deeper than mere family ties. These brothers, united by their shared experiences, form a bond that transcends the superficial layers of drugs, money, and hedonism. Through my work, I bring you into the heart of this circle, capturing our raw, unfiltered existence and our enviable lust for life.Join me on a wild ride across city streets, skateparks, garages, and raucous parties. I drag you through the blood, mud, sweat, and tears of the skateboarding alternative.”
Read our “Roots” issue in full
The new theme, born as usual from what the submitted works held in common, is “ROOTS.” Within its pages, we present the artworks, creativity, and inspiration of 60 visual artists and writers from 21 countries around the world. Their diverse voices come together around a shared exploration of the return to where one belongs, the invisible threads of tradition that shape identity, and the ongoing reconnection with nature, others, and oneself.
We’re a team of writers using our craft to spotlight art in its most honest form. RAWGUE. started as a bi-monthly editorial experiment where each issue’s theme is dictated by the submitted work, thus removing editorial bias from the equation and preserving a more raw approach. We focus on all forms of poetry: written, photographed, painted, drawn, and filmed.
