Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
The Same But Also Changed 《物是人非》
Artists: Chen Xiaoyun, Geng Jianyi,
Hu Jieming, Liang Yue, Xiang Liqing, Yang Zhenzhong, Yang Fudong, Liu Wei, Kan Xuan, Xu Zhen, Chen Zhe, Yang Yuanyuan, Fan Xi, Ma Qiusha, Miao Ying and Shi Zheng
Curator Victor Wang 王宗孚
PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai
Shanghai Exhibition Center
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For the exhibition, curator Victor Wang is drawing upon the rich photographic exhibition history of Shanghai, specifically revisiting the artist-curated exhibition entitled "The Same But Also Changed" (物是人非), which was scheduled to open to the public at 859 Tian Yao Qiao Road, Shanghai from September 4th through 6th, 1999. Unfortunately, the exhibition was prematurely closed by authorities before it could be made available to the public.
The exhibition was one of the first to explore contemporary photography in Shanghai and represented a shift in experimental and conceptual lens-base practices. It brought together 15 emerging artists based in China to explore the diverse approaches to experimental photography, and and introduced a innovative technology that allowed for unconventionality, spontaneity, and a challenge to the conventional definition of 'contemporary art' and 'Chinese photography' (Zhongguo shying) of that period.
Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
The original exhibition, which featured a selection of artists who have since gained recognition for their contributions to the development of Chinese contemporary art and the broader artistic network in the region, will be revisited in Shanghai's 2018 Insights exhibition. The exhibition will showcase artworks by the original artists, such as Geng Jianyi 耿建翌, Yang Fudong 杨福东, Hu Jieming 胡介鸣, Xu Zhen 徐震, Liang Yue 梁玥, Chen Xiaoyun 陈晓云, Yang Zhenzhong 杨振中, Xiang Lqing 向利庆, among others, alongside a new generation of Chinese artists working in various image-producing mediums.
Utilizing original photo documentation of the exhibition as a starting point, 'The Same But Also Changed' re-evaluates the fundamental premise of the title and the original exhibition by examining the ways in which photography in China can be perceived as a means of comprehending and reassessing China's art history and contemporaneity (dangdaixing), specifically within the context of accelerated cultural modernization and heightened visual regulation and control. Furthermore, this exhibition delves into the ways in which contemporary image-producing technologies have substantially expanded the medium and concept of photography.
Examining the unofficial history of contemporary art in China requires consideration of the distinction between viewing Chinese photography as a subject and medium of study, and utilizing it as a technique for generating ideas and historical records that can provide insight into the broader societal and cultural context of art, particularly in the context of exhibitions in China during that period.
Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
Chen Zhe “The Only Question is How to Endure - Resisting” 唯一的问题是如何度过 — 抗阻, (2017)
Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
Xu Zhen “Actually, I Am Also Dim” (2000)
GENG Jianyi “Water Mark” 水印 (2000)
Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
YANG Zhenzhong “Wrong way round” 反了, (2011)
MIAO Ying “Content-Aware, The Five Pillars of Awareness: Reclaiming Ownership of Your Mind, Body and Future”, (2016)
Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
XIANG Liqing “Press”, (2007)
YANG Zhenzhong “Cycle Aerobics” series, 自行车保健操Ⅱ-3（共8件）,(2005)
Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
Yang Yuanyuan “Green screen photo studio” (2018)
Installation view, The Same But Also Changed, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, 2018.
HU Jieming “Postcards (4): Old Summer Palace” 明信片（4）——圆明园 , (2002)
Press
Oscar Holland “Shanghai takes center stage in China's burgeoning photography scene“, CNN, Sept 20, 2018
Tom Seymour, ‘Delayed exposure: contemporary photography in China’, Financial Times, AUGUST 17, 2018
Sam Gaskin, “Banned in 1999, a Legendary Chinese Photography Show Is Restaged”, Artsy, Sept 18, 2018
Grace Ignacia See, ‘An Interview with Victor Wang王宗孚, Curator of the Upcoming 'Insights' Exhibition at PHOTOFAIRS, Shanghai’ The Artling, August 13, 2018
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VICTOR WANG
All content property of © Victor Wang 2009 - 2023 All rights reserved -- BEIJING - LONDON.
All content property of © Victor Wang 2009 - 2023 All rights reserved -- BEIJING - LONDON.