‘Conversations’ is a series of dialogues, talks and sharing sessions designed to offer a rich programme for audiences and participating galleries. In this section, artists, curators, gallerists and industry experts come together to explore the key issues and ideas shaping contemporary image-based art.
In 2026, the ‘Conversations’ section, proudly presented by partner Standard Chartered, featured over ten in‑depth forums covering photographic practice and market trends. Topics included (but were not limited to) the collecting ecosystem for image-based art, funding for Southeast Asian photography, documentation of performance art, curating digital art, fashion and image storytelling, and the intersection of landscape, memory and the photographic essay.
Three high‑quality forums stood out:
Two special forums were held around the ‘INSIGHTS’ thematic exhibition. In “Into Art”, curator Valeria Liebermann was joined by Hedda Roman, Sebastian Riemer and Gao Yutao to discuss mentorship and educational impact within art academies. In “The Future of Art and Photography”, Liebermann, Hedda Roman, Juergen Staack and Yang Di addressed the fundamental challenges that digital technology and artificial intelligence are bringing to photographic creation. Both forums were generously supported by the Culture and Education Section of the German Consulate General Shanghai and Fotografiska Shanghai.
A Standard Chartered‑presented roundtable, “Reflecting Flow – The Changing Image of Chinese Diaspora in Global Visual Culture” , brought together Li Feng (Deputy CEO of Standard Chartered China, Head of Wealth Management & Retail Banking, and Head of Global Chinese Business Group), Cao Dan (President of Meta Media’s Art Platform), and celebrated Hong Kong actor and visual artist Simon Yam. Together they examined the visual narratives and identity constructions behind more than a century of global representations of the Chinese diaspora.
Previous ‘Conversations’ guests have included Tan Shining (Associate Curator, M+ Hong Kong), Lisa Springer (Curator of Photography, Victoria and Albert Museum, London), Wang Jun (collector), Yang Fudong (artist), Wang Bing (artist), Gu Zheng (critic), and many others.