To demonstrate what it means to live at the poverty line, Beijing-based artist duo Stefen Chow and Huiyi Lin visited 36 countries and territories on six continents―from Germany and China to New York and London―examining poverty with regard to food. From local markets, they bought vegetables, fruits, cereal products, proteins and snacks, basing the amount of food they could afford per day on the respective poverty-line definition set by each government. The duo photographed the resulting food, placed on a page of a local newspaper bought that day, calibrating lighting and shooting distance to ensure uniformity and comparability. In addition, the duo selected nine foods available in most of the economies observed to illustrate the globalization of production and the variations in prices and consumption. With this brilliantly conceived project, Chow and Lin render the problem of poverty visible and comprehensible to all.

To shop the full assortment of Top 10 Photo Books of 2021, please visit the Museum Store adjacent to MoMA's lobby.