Stefen Chow at the Asia Journalism Forum in Singapore last September 23.
Photo by Kristine Angeli Sabillo/INQUIRER.net
LOOK: Photographer captures ‘poverty line’ in 29 countries
through food
Published in Inquirer.net
By: Kristine Angeli Sabillo / @KSabilloINQINQUIRER.net / 07:20 PM November 02, 2016
Poverty and inequality
“We wanted to talk about poverty using a visual project that is objective, that is interesting
and possibly thought-provoking,” Chow said during his presentation at the forum organized by
Temasek Foundation and Nanyang Technological University.
Chow and Lin wanted to answer a simple question: “What does it mean to be poor?”
“The Poverty Line uses the most common denominator — food — to suggest the inequality that
the poor would face,” Chow said.
Poverty means different things to different countries.
This is something that people will quickly realize when they see Stefen Chow’s photo series
that features food from 16 developed and 13 developing countries.
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“The Poverty Line” is a visual project started by Chow and his wife Hui-Yi Lin, who is an economist and market researcher, in China.
The couple has since traveled to six continents to document the food choices of people living in
poverty.
Chow presented some of the photographs during the Asia Journalism Forum, attended by
INQUIRER.net, in Singapore last September.
Australia. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
While the “poor” in Australia could afford a whole chicken, their counterparts in China could
only buy four chicken drumsticks while those from Laos can only afford three chicken wings.
Laos. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
Chow said that when they released their first series on China, American media accused them
of being “very cruel because how can anyone live on so little.”
Developed, developing countries
The photographer said they quickly realized that the statistics and the situation on the ground
enable them to learn different lessons.
USA. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
While the poor in the United States can afford more food compared to those in Asia, 46 million
Americans are considered poor.
Chow said the poor in Hong Kong seem better off but the backdrop of his photographs is news
on the massive protests in the city.
China. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
The project went viral and soon their website crashed after Russian readers started checking
out the site. One commented on how the vegetables in China looked fresh unlike those from
his own country.
“It inspired us to doing this project to a global level,” Chow said.
Hong Kong. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
The Poverty Line’s photographs not only present absolute poverty, not just inequality but also
other ills of society featured in the local news pages.
“It was an aesthetic and factual decision. I wanted to bring two elements that are close to
people from all stratas of the society—food and newspapers, to talk about a topic that isn’t just
important for the individual, but for the global society as well,” he said.
“Philippines is an important country with a rich history and diversity, and poverty is a major
issue within the country. When I find the chance to finally visit the country, I would definitely do
the project,” he said.
Stefen Chow presents “The Poverty Line” series from Hong Kong, which features news articles of the massive protests
in the city. Photo by Kristine Angeli Sabillo/INQUIRER.net
The photographer explained the decision to separate the countries into developing and developed countries was because of different methodologies in determining the poverty line. He said
developing countries usually have an absolute poverty line while they had to use the median
income of citizens to compute the poverty line for developed countries.
He said while poverty is a global issue it could be in the form of absolute poverty in developing
countries or rising inequality in developed countries.
Germany. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
Asked what his most unforgettable experience was in doing the project, Chow said it was when
he met a former schoolmate in Hong Kong who was retrenched and was trying to make ends
meet by juggling two jobs as a waiter and a bartender.
“When we spoke on the topic of poverty in Hong Kong, I realized that he was spending less
than the poor people we have calculated for the territory,” Chow said. “It hit home that poverty
is a situation that hits people close to us, and that it is much more wide spread than people
think.”
Thailand The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
Possible visit to PH
Chow, in an online interview with INQUIRER.net, said he was able to cover the 29 countries
through his work as a commercial and editorial photographer.
The Malaysia-born and Singapore-raised photographer said he wants to visit as many countries as possible, including the Philippines.
Nepal. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
Norway. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
Vietnam. The Poverty Line/ INSTITUTE
Link to Article: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/242597/ok-photographer-captures-poverty-line-in-29-countries-throughfood/