Programs
The programs section presents new exhibitions, awards and an extensive talks program, all of which showcase the diversity and latest developments of the photography and digital art world. This section brings together leading international figures from across the art world, including artists, curators and collectors.
Insights
© 2025 Insights Installation Shot
Launched in 2016, Insights is an exhibition focusing on a particular theme or an important moment in the development of photography. Each year PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai commissions a curator to offer a new perspective on photography.
The year 2025 holds special significance as the 130th anniversary of world cinema, the 120th anniversary of Chinese cinema, and the 60th anniversary of video art, a medium profoundly shaped by both predecessors. Against this backdrop, the Fair’s INSIGHTS program spotlights four visionary artists: Jia Zhangke, a pioneering figure of China’s sixth-generation cinema, alongside photographers and video artists Liu Zheng, Yu Liwei, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Previous exhibitions include “Softness” featuring three galleries from the United States, “Listen, Listen to the World”, curated by independent curator Yang Zi and supported by Insights lead partner The New York Times Life and Arts China(2023), “Imaging Our Futures”, curated by He Yining (2021), “Fieldwork”, curated by Deputy Director of Para Site (Hong Kong) Claire Shea (2019), and “The Same But Also Changed”, curated by Victor Wang (2018).
SPECTRUM
© 2025 Culture Spaces Installation Shot
Since its founding in 2014, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai has firmly embedded photography and visual art within Shanghai’s cultural DNA and has been deeply involved in fostering the growing enthusiasm for contemporary photography in China. Launched in 2023, SPECTRUM sector further highlights the important role of museums, institutions, and cultural organisations in the development of photographic art.
CONVERSATIONS
CONVERSATIONS is a series of talks between artists, curators, gallerists and arts professionals that bring an in-depth look at key themes and ideas shaping photography and digital art today.
Guests for the previous edition included Isabella Tam (Associate Curator at M+ Hong Kong), Lisa Springer (Photography Curator V&A), Wang Jun (collector), Yang Fudong (artist), Wang Bing (artist), Gu Zheng (critic), among others.