PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, Asia Pacific’s leading fair dedicated to photo-based and digital artworks, is delighted to introduce China Showcase at the seventh edition of Photo London, opening this week from 12-15 May.
This presentation takes place as part of the newly formed partnership between the World Photography Organisation, organiser of PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, and Photo London. The partnership brings together two of the leading global photography organisations dedicated to the development and cultural enrichment of the medium. Central to this is the fostering of a creative dialogue and cross-cultural collaborations between the two fairs through a joint programme of curated content.
China Showcase presents a group show by 10 Chinese artists, represented by some of the Fair’s leading exhibitors. Exploring a range of contemporary issues, works on display include an examination of the processes of urban development as presented in Yang Yongliang’s (b.1980, Matthew Liu Fine Arts) Time Immemorial, a series which combines Chinese traditional landscape art with digital techniques to create an image of contemporary life; Guo Guozhu’s (b.1982, Matthew Liu Fine Arts) Lingering Garden which depicts the eerie remains of abandoned villages; Chen Ronghui (b.1989, Three Shadows +3 Gallery) who observes cityscapes and individual lives in various urban settings in China; and Liu Ke (b. 1977, Three Shadows +3 Gallery) who photographs scenes at the Three Gorges Dam where residents are faced with changes in their living environment.
Several of the artists presented consider the theme of life and death: among them is Hu Weiyi’s (b.1990, HdM GALLERY) Blue Bones in which the artist uses X-rays of patients and embeds them with negatives of flowers; Wang Juyan’s (b.1993, see+ gallery) Project 2086 which captures destruction caused by military force; while Stanley Fung’s (b.1961, M Art Center) portrait delivers a precious message of peace and tranquillity.
Other works transport visitors to a particular space: Jiang Zhi’s (b.1971, X Contemporary Art) Fade takes audiences back to an ordinary home in China in the 1970s; Xu Guanyu’s (b.1993, Gaotai Gallery) Resident Aliens presents some of the complicated conditions immigrants experience in the U.S., questioning notions of power and territory; and Ma Hailun’s (b.1992, Gaotai Gallery) Uruklyn explores Urumqi and Uyghur culture through street fashion.
Fan Ni, director of PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai said, ‘We are thrilled to be participating at Photo London this year and to have the opportunity to provide a glimpse into the exciting contemporary photography scene in China. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Photo London and to welcoming audiences and exhibitors to our new edition in April 2023.’
