MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, SHANGHAI

NEW DEVELOPMENT - CHINESE PHOTOGRAPHY COMES OF AGE

“just when it seemed that that Shanghai would never develop a vibrant photography scene, like a burst of flash powder, it has ignited with a bang.

Following the renovations at Moganshan Lu, Artsea Gallery will turn its focus to photography; Wonder Photography (闻天摄影) hosted by a Singaporean design firm has just begun hosting photo exhibitions; and the Shanghai Museum of Contemporary Art will open its doors this month with the dazzling works of Pierre et Gilles. (See Photography). The Origin Group (‘_阈∽_) – Ding Dawen, Song Tao and Shi Hantao, former director of the Origin Gallery – provides much needed exposure to many of the city’s new photographers with their monthly shows at the Ming Yuan Art Center. Says Ding Dawen: “We want to provide a space for photographers outside of the realm of art.”

They have made their intentions clear with 废片 (which roughly translates as Scrap Photos), a show featuring Shanghai’s top photojournalists. While a lot of the work on display was indeed scrap, photographers such as Xiao Mu and Song Yang have produced some interesting documentary works. Song’s images of the Special Olympics go beyond sports photography to capture the comradery and the courage of these soulful athletes.

On a lighter note, Qian Dongshen’s saucy images taken at a recent sex toy exhibition in Shanghai capture the quaint naiveté and shy curiosity of local visitors as they come face to face with faux phalluses and blow-up dolls.

Chinese-German photographer Wang Xiaohui was back in town, this time to organize the Harmony and Creativity photography contest for Shanghai’s aspiring shutterbugs. In general, Wang’s selections were a bit dull, but we applaud her efforts all the same. The winners, including the talented Li Nan, Liu Jiang and Chi Gong were announced on August 11, and each will be given the opportunity to show their works in Deutschland.

from ART DIGEST

Sep, 2005