As part of our initiative to promote visual art collecting, this week, we’ve asked four renowned exhibitors from previous editions of PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai to introduce their selection of beginner-friendly yet valuable photography art pieces for aspiring collectors and art enthusiasts who wish to begin their photography collection journey.
UP Gallery (Hsinchu) features a curated collection of exciting up-and-coming photographers – among them Kurt Tong, Sameer Tawde, as well as American photographer Anastasia Samoylova, who is known for her captivating exploration of environmental issues through a vibrant and beautiful pastel-toned aesthetic. Her first solo exhibition in Asia is now on display at the UP Gallery.
Studio Gallery (Shanghai) presents Cao Mengqin, a talented artist who has spent years exploring traditional Chinese culture. His creative endeavors typically employ photography as the primary medium, to which he combines collage and AI-based colorization to reproduce a spiritual dimension with a penchant for classicism. Zhai Xuanhong, another artist with similar aesthetic interests, creates poetic and vibrant painting installations mixing oil painting and photography.
EYECANDIES (Shanghai) introduces the brilliance of three emerging female artists: Yushi Li, Winnie Tse, and Yu Ruojie. Their artworks often prioritize the sensory aspect of art, leveraging their distinctive feminine perspectives to craft elaborate and vibrant visual styles.
East Gallery (Nanjing) consistently emphasizes the beauty of the Eastern aesthetic. They introduce us to Dong Wensheng, Li Shun, and Sun Xiaozhou, three artists who delve into the depths of painting and photography, pushing the limits of both mediums and blurring the boundaries separating them.
Title: Dongyu’s Red Dress
Artist: Kurt Tong
Year: 2018-2022
100 × 80 cm, Edition: 1/3, USD 3,800
62.5 × 50 cm, Edition: 1/5, USD 2,500
Title: Marriage Proposal
Artist: Kurt Tong
Year: 2018-2022
24 × 30 cm, Edition: 1/5, USD 1,100
50 × 62.5 cm, Edition: 1/3, USD 2,500
Kurt Tong’s Dear Franklin series won him the 4th edition of the Prix Elysée in 2022. The series was also featured as one of the top 10 most popular photography books of 2022 at the prestigious Museum of Modern Art in New York.
A fortuitous finding of an old wooden box inspired Tong to create this series. The box, previously owned by a man named Franklin Lung, unveiled a heartfelt love story from a bygone era that unfolded amidst the turmoil of the early 20th century. Through photography, the artist skillfully brings to life the images and historic artifacts from this story, capturing the turbulence and sense of despair that defined this pivotal period in history.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Kurt Tong (b.1977) graduated with a Master’s degree in Documentary Photography from the London College of Communication in 2006. Tong’s work has been widely exhibited in places such as the Victoria Gallery and Museum (Liverpool), the Visual Art Center at the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, and the Lianzhou Museum of Photography. His work often takes root into personal projects, in which he explores his Chinese roots and his understanding of his motherland.
Title: Breakfast with Daido Moriyama
Artist: Anastasia Samoylova
Year: 2023
40.6 × 40.6 cm, Edition: 1/10 + 2AP, USD 3,500
Title: Breakfast with Masahisa Fukase
Artist: Anastasia Samoylova
Year: 2023
40.6 × 40.6 cm, Edition: 1/10 + 2AP, USD 3,500
These two pieces are from Anastasia Samoylova’s Breakfasts With series. This ongoing project is the artist’s nod to all the photography masters that have inspired her and contributed to the advancement of the medium. Through their great works, from exhibitions to photo books, Samoylova pushes herself to deeply look, study, and reflect during the most intimate meal of the day: breakfast. By placing assortments of fruits, pastries, eggs, utensils, and beverages alongside the main image, the artist imagines herself enjoying a meal and a conversation with the artist,placing their work front and center.
A special highlight of this exhibition are two new works created especially for her first solo exhibition in Asia, in whichSamoylova seeks to “have breakfast” with Japanese photography masters Masahisa Fukase, Shomei Tomatsu, and Daidō Moriyama. This endeavor showcases the artist’s exploration of cultural exchange and her desire to establish a connection with the legacies of these influential Asian photographers.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Anastasia Samoylova (b. 1984, USSR) is a Russian-born American artist who moves between observational photography and studio practice. Her work explores notions of environmentalism, consumerism, and the picturesque. Recent exhibitions include Fundación Mapfre; The Photographer’s Gallery, London; Kunst Haus Wien. In 2022 Samoylova was shortlisted for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize. Her work is in the collections at the Perez Art Museum, Miami; the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; among others.
Title: Dialogues of an Introvert Chapter One 033
Artist: Sameer Tawde
Year: 2022
62.1 × 93.49 cm, Edition: 1/8 + 2AP, USD 2,200
Title: Dialogues of an Introvert Chapter Two 014
Artist: Sameer Tawde
Year: 2019
62.1 × 93.49 cm, Edition: 1/8 + 2AP, USD 2,200
Both of these works are from Sameer Tawde‘s recent series Dialogues of an Introvert, which draws attention to the separation and sometimes alienation between the self and the outside world. In an attempt to suggest new contexts in which human beings connect to their infrastructure and environment, the imagery centers around illusions and is achieved through a sculpture-making approach, setting up life-size installations on location or miniature sets.
Although the dose of surrealism and the creation of sets mimic the quality of Tableau photography, Tawde takes on a more traditional approach with his concepts. Rather than proliferating only in the imaginary and fantasy worlds, small clues are interlaced in his work, which draws viewers back to his main emphasis: a social, political, and environmental commentary. Beyond these dreamlike realities is, in fact, a portrayal of his understanding of global issues and the dilemmas of humanity. This series was met with great enthusiasm at Photo London 2023 and was featured in The Guardian.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Sameer Tawde (b.1978) is a visual artist and photographer. He graduated from the National Institute of Design (NID), India in 2004. His recent series Dialogues of an Introvert and Holy Boulevard have been featured in GUP Magazine and have been exhibited at the Singapore International Photography Festival and the Backlight Photography Triennial. Nominated for the Paul Huf Award, the PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai Exposure Award, and the Photo London x Nikon Emerging Photographer Award, his work is humourous and imaginative, and interlaces fact and fiction.
ABOUT THE GALLERY:
UP Gallery, founded in 2009, is Taiwan’s first gallery dedicated exclusively to exhibiting photography and moving-image works. As a firm believer of the unique potential of photography, founder and artist Yichia Liao foresaw the need for a great platform to exhibit photography in Taiwan, and established this gallery space in 2009 in his hometown of Hsinchu.
For collection inquiries, please contact:
[email protected]
Title: Yu Garden II
Artist: Cao Mengqin
Year: 2021
90(h) × 183(w) cm, Edition: 1/3 + 1AP, RMB 60,000
Title: Muntjac in Moutain
Artist: Cao Mengqin
Year: 2018
50(h) × 50(w) cm, Edition: 2/15+1AP, RMB 12,000
Cao Mengqin has spent years exploring the depths of Chinese traditional culture. Through photography, Cao is able to capture and reconstruct scenes that do not exist in reality. In his recent works, he has incorporated a methodology inspired by corpus linguistics, which involves collecting, generating, and presenting.
For this particular piece, Cao employs a collage technique and uses artificial intelligence-based coloring to create new images from his extensive collection of photographs taken during visits to gardens and the countryside. This method seamlessly incorporates the dynamic nature of the human eye into static images.
When it comes to visual style, he strives to evoke an aesthetic reminiscent of literati painting. Additionally, the scroll format and the use of traditional handmade paper for photographic printing lend an ambiance akin to traditional Chinese painting.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Cao Mengqin (b.1980) lives and works in Shanghai and previously held a position at the Institute of Corpus Studies and Applications at Shanghai International Studies University. During his time there, he served as an academic editor for the Center for the Study of Stories of China and played a role in the development of the Multimodal Corpus of Pun Rebus. In recent years, he has explored the art of photography, using techniques such as collage and AI-based coloring to create a spiritual dimension with a penchant for classicism. His art pieces have been acquired by prestigious institutions like the Eiheiji Temple in Japan, as well as private collectors around the world.
Title: Derivation No.75
Artist: Zhai Xuanhong
Year: 2022
82(h) x 62(w) cm, Unique, RMB 55,000
Zhai Xuanhong‘s distinct painting installations merge the elements of oil painting and photography. He uses the ever-changing flow of light as a crucial component in his artistic expression. His work showcases dynamic brushwork on a pristine white canvas, crafting a poetic composition that unveils a previously undiscovered landscape.
Zhai made the deliberate choice to use luminescent canvas in his landmark series, Derivation, which delves into the themes of life and longing. This series drew inspiration from his personal experiences during his university years, which were heavily influenced by the distinct regional attributes of Chongqing. Zhai holds great admiration for the resilience and determination demonstrated by individuals in the face of adversity. Imbued with his own sensitivity and emotions, this series encapsulates the vibrant force of life and longing, symbolizing unbridled growth.
Derivation No. 75 deviates from the rich and vibrant colors of his earlier work, transitioning into a white phase where his artistic compositions become more controlled yet refined and brimming with elegance and liveliness.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Zhai Xuanhong was born in 1987 in Changde, Hunan. He graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 2012 and currently lives and works in Shanghai. His works have been acquired by esteemed local and international institutions, corporations, and collectors, such as the Amstelveen Municipality (Netherlands), the Picasso Birthplace Art Sponsorship Foundation, Museum Jan (Netherlands), Copelouzos Family Art Museum (Greece), Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Art Museum, Chongqing Art Museum, Blue Roof Art Museum, MoCA STAR, Peninsula Art Museum, KWM Art Center, Powerlong Art Center, Deji Plaza (Nanjing), Goldman Sachs Group, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., China Resources (Holding) Co., Ltd., Chongbang Group, China SCE Property, Yide Group, Digital China, Sunriver Group, and Metro AG.
ABOUT THE GALLERY:
As the first gallery in Shanghai to provide international artist residency, Studio Gallery was established in early 2016. Since then, we have continued to support the wide-ranging potential of emerging and new talents, complemented by innovative activities to nourish and enrich the local artistic environment.
The gallery operates two physical spaces. The gallery space is located in the heart of downtown Shanghai, continuously organizing topical exhibitions. While the studio space serves as the academic engine of the gallery space to explore and transform the value generated from artists’ practice into consensus.
For collection inquiries, please contact:
[email protected]
Title: The Dream of the Fisherwoman-1
Artist: Yushi Li
Year: 2018
97 x 80 cm, C-type Print
Yushi Li‘s work explores the image of the male figure, creating visuals that investigate and question how women, including the artist herself, communicate their desires.
In The Dream of the Fisherwoman, Yushi Li challenges the traditional male gaze through a female photographer’s perspective. In the corner of a bathroom, male model Charlie—the son of David Gilmour from the British band Pink Floyd—confidently displays his tender and vulnerable side. This piece of art uses a mix of soft and bright colors to convey a diverse range of emotions and challenge gender stereotypes. This particular piece gained significant recognition after being featured in The Guardian in 2021 and has become one of Yushi Li’s most celebrated works.
Title: My Tinder Boys Tom, 20, 5km away
Artist: Yushi Li
Year: 2017
92 x 92 cm, C-type Print
My Tinder Boys is a photography project that Li accomplished with the help of social media platforms. She invited almost 300 men she met on Tinder to take part, but only 15 of them accepted. Ultimately, she was able to produce eight photos.
These artistic portrayals of male nudes not only reveal the tender and vulnerable aspects of men but also aim to challenge traditional stereotypes surrounding women and the family. By featuring men instead of women in non-provocative scenes of dining in the kitchen, this series sets itself apart from conventional sexualized representations.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Yushi Li is a Chinese photographer born in 1991. She received her PhD in Arts and Humanities at the Royal College of Art in London. Her work mainly engages with the question of the gaze in relation to gender and desire. She challenges long-held gender stereotypes and explores non-binary gender relationships.
Title: Unconscious Objects, Waste
Artist: Winnie Tse
Year: 2021
30 x 24 cm (image), 55 x 48 cm (with frame), Hanemühle Archival Giclée Print
Title: Unconscious Objects, Growth
Artist: Winnie Tse
Year: 2021
60 x 40 cm (image), 62 x 42 cm (with frame), Hanemühle Archival Giclée Print
Unconscious Objects is Winnie Tse’s long-term still-life photography project. Through unconventionally staged items, Tse detaches the object from its everyday perception and re-establishes a brand new connection to it. This deliberate approach generates a sense of conflict between the everyday object and its surroundings. In these still-life shots, Tse presents subjects in a documentary style, creating images that seamlessly blend reality and fiction, evoking both discordant and harmonious feelings.
In Waste, Tse focuses on consumed objects such as tin cans, fruit, and fragmented wood. While these objects may seem randomly arranged, they have been meticulously arranged. The vibrant contrast of red and green, along with the juxtaposition of the forest and consumer goods, establishes a striking conflict between the artificial and the natural. The interplay of color and structure in those shots achieves a sense of harmony between the subject and the surroundings, prompting the viewer to reflect on modernity and its implications.
In Growth, Tse intentionally chooses a combination of yellow and green tones to create a vibrant atmosphere. The tropical plants on the left juxtaposed with a discarded toilet in the center serve as a symbol of abandonment and futility. However, the unexpected appearance of a plant growing out of the toilet lends it a new use, representing the relentless force of growth that humans cannot interfere with. In this warm-colored image, the unusual function of the object stands out as a distinctive feature. The deep green leaves, the white toilet, and the yellow brick wall all contribute to the picture’s harmonious composition and color palette, conveying a sense of vitality and life force.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Winnie Tse is a photographer born in Hong Kong. She graduated from Hong Kong Baptist University with a degree in music performance and from Goldsmiths, University of Londonwith a degree in Photography, Electronic Arts and Cinematography. More than a decade of musical background has allowed Winnie Tse to emphasize human emotions and feelings towards images in her creative process.
She has recently focused on still-life photography and frequently employs everyday objects as her medium of expression. She explores the relationship between materiality and modernity through the structure and function of these objects. She is skilled at expressing delicate and subtle emotions, as well as employing a tranquil yet lively palette of colors. Her works have been exhibited in cities such as London, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
Title: Flower For Fragility, Flower bloomed one day Ⅱ
Artist: Yu Ruojie
Year: 2020
100 x 67 cm, Hanemühle Archival Giclée Print
Yu Ruojie‘s long-term photography project, Photo Without Photoshop, aims to explore the possibility of creating surrealistic photography with unique and fictional visual effects without relying on software.
The Flower for Fragility series is an extension of the Photo Without Photoshop project, in which Yu captures the flowers as the process of withering commences or has completed. In the work, the specific shape of the flower is ignored. Instead, the artist focuses on the fluid color and special shape of the flower. The reblooming of the flower is expressed through color as its elegant charm flows out in the style of “Mo-Gu Skill” painting.
[*Mo-Gu Skill: Chinese traditional painting method. Instead of drawing an object’s contours with an inkbrush, immediately shape it with dots and color.]
Title: Lying Flowers, February 2
Artist: Yu Ruojie
Year: 2021
Hanemühle Archival Giclée Print
The Lying Flower series is a combination of Flowers for Fragility and Lies of Color. Fake flowers do not wither. The beautiful combination of light and shadow intertwines with flowers, creating a sense of nihilism and intangible existence. Through the lens of her camera, the artist avoids focusing on specific material characteristics. Instead, she captures the essence of time and space, creating stunning moments that blend truth and fiction.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Yu Ruojie is an artist, curator, and writer working across different media, including video, installation, painting, new media, and text to create interdisciplinary works. She uses lens language to present fictional visual narratives and to explore the perception and individual consciousness of existence in infinite light and shadow.
ABOUT THE GALLERY:
EYECANDIES was founded in 2019 by a team of graduates from top art schools worldwide who have extensive experience in branding. The team possesses rich expertise in art promotion and communication. Their key services include art representation and curation, bridging the collaboration between business and art, as well as cultural and art-centered planning activities.
For collection inquiries, please contact:
[email protected]
Title: Taihu Lake Stone 201316
Artist: Dong Wensheng
Year: 2013
53 x 43 cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Fiber-Base, Edition 6/12
Title: Bamboo and Stone 2
Artist: Dong Wensheng
Year: 2021
50 x 40 cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Hand-painted, Edition 4/8
Dong Wensheng‘s Taihu Lake Stone and Bamboo and Stone 2, which focus on rocks, exhibit aesthetic qualities rooted in traditional Chinese culture. These rocks enjoy both visual and historical significance and carry sociological implications as well.
Dong employs a visual discourse that effortlessly navigates between photography and video, yet is also imbued with a poetic and oblique cinematic language that transcends cultural boundaries. His work is permeated with a unique sense of mystique, solitude, and even absurdity, leading the viewer into a distinctive dimension where tradition and reality overlap and existence and nothingness co-exist.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Dong Wensheng, born in 1970 in Ganyu, Jiangsu, currently lives in Changzhou, Jiangsu. He is a part-time professor at the School of Art at Jiangsu University of Technology and a researcher at the Changzhou School of Painting Research Institute. Over the years, he has dedicated himself to the creation of photography and video. Dong’s photographs have been extensively exhibited around the world and are featured in prominent private and public collections such as the National Art Museum of China, the Shanghai Art Museum, the Nanjing University of the Arts Museum, MoMA PS1, the Centre Pompidou, the Instituto Valenciano de Arte Moderno, São Paulo Museum of Contemporary Art in Brazil, the Chile Contemporary Art Museum, and the White Rabbit Gallery in Australia.
Title: West Lake Waterscape-3
Artist: Li Shun
Year: 2022
45 x 80 cm, photography giclee print on photographic paper, Edition 3/8
Title: West Lake Waterscape-2
Artist: Li Shun
Year: 2022
45 x 80 cm, photography giclee print on photographic paper, Edition 6/8
Li Shun not only achieves painting with light in photography but also pushes the boundary of calligraphy with the shadow of light. He creates in between while amplifying time delays against everyday life and familiar rhythms.
His West Lake Waterscape series emphasizes the relationship between landscapes, cities, and personal emotions.. His creations are meaningful, and he believes that photography is meant to arouse the viewer’s emotions. As a result, his works progress from passive to active visual expressions, centering on his own experiences and emotions.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Li Shun was born in 1988 in Xuzhou, Jiangsu. He received his BFA and MFA from the School of Intermedia Art, China Academy of Art. He now lives and works in Hangzhou. Li Shun gets his inspiration from photography, in which light is the predominant protagonist. The switch between positive and negative images is the logic of his work. Li’s creation encompasses a range of styles and mediums, placing a strong emphasis on the expressive nature unique to each medium.
Title: Carefree Soaring
Artist: Sun Xiaozhou
Year: 2020-2021
75 x 100 cm, archival giclee print, Edition 2/9
Title: Carefree Soaring
Artist: Sun Xiaozhou
Year: 2020-2021
100 x 75 cm, archival giclee print, Edition 2/9
Sun Xiaozhou‘s work, which often features somber and subdued tones, is not meant to seek approval. The Carefree Soaring series, for instance, feels like a hoarse whisper to oneself, quietly and persistently weaving its own world, much like a spider. In this series, Sun employs a Chinese minimalist shooting style to showcase the beauty of tradition, exploring the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Sun Xiaozhou, born in Beijing in 1987, currently works at the National Museum of China across photography and painting amongst other mediums. In his artistic process, he skillfully merges traditional Chinese craftsmanship with modern techniques. He purposefully leaves traces of the creation process in his work, inviting viewers to engage with and admire the beauty that can be found in imperfections. His photography series include Hunter, National Hero, Kosha, Damp and Heat, Wounded City, Ann In, Undercurrent, and Carefree Soaring.
ABOUT THE GALLERY:
East Gallery is committed to promoting the exchange and development of contemporary art from around the world. By partnering with different institutions and curators, East Gallery strives to discover and support experimental art forms, providing a higher level of exploration and presentation for artists. The gallery also emphasizes the establishment of first-class conversations and interactions between artists, curators, and collectors, bringing contemporary and creative art experiences into the public view and providing more holistic art activities. East Gallery actively participates in a range of extensive art exhibitions and has organized close to 100 comprehensive exhibitions and art projects thus far.
For collection inquiries, please contact:
[email protected]