Sotheby’s Institute announces a partnership with PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai as the renowned contemporary art fair for photography returns for its ninth edition.
PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, the contemporary art fair for photography, announces today its gallery and exhibitor line-up, alongside programming highlights for its forthcoming ninth edition, including a collaborative showcase with PHOTOFAIRS New York.
Reaffirming its position as Asia Pacific's leading fair dedicated to photo-based and digital artworks, the forthcoming edition of PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai welcomes 46 exhibitors, comprising local and international galleries, leading arts organizations, and esteemed cultural partners. Showcasing the work of more than 150 artists, from well-established figures to emerging talents, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai continues to be the meeting point for photography in China, convening a highly-curated selection of exhibitors from Asia Pacific and beyond.
Fan Ni, Director, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, said: "We are delighted to return to the Shanghai Exhibition Centre next month and to provide a platform to showcase the best of contemporary photography to audiences here in China. We are very happy to welcome back our collectors, exhibitors, institutions, and visitors for this ninth edition, and to provide the wider Asia Pacific region with a dedicated space to explore and appreciate this richly varied and rapidly-evolving medium."
Representing more than 20 cities, including Paris, Beijing, London, New York, Amsterdam, and Tokyo, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai features a curated selection of exhibitors in its Main and Platform sectors, from established photography dealers to emerging contemporary galleries presenting innovative work in the photographic medium.
Complementing the booth shows are special presentations by leading cultural institutions and fair partners, alongside a vibrant public and satellite program, offering an expanded view of the photographic medium.
For this year’s Insights sector, entitled Softness, four galleries from the United States are brought together by PHOTOFAIRS New York Director Helen Toomer to present innovative and multidisciplinary works united by themes of malleability and softness. Ranging from portraits focusing on the delicate forms of the human body and the tenderness of interpersonal interactions, to landscapes highlighting the gentle beauty of the fauna and flora, the exhibition evokes ‘the power of art to bring comfort and reprieve through a multi-sensory experience’. The audience is invited to reevaluate the importance of softness in helping us to make sense of the world around us.
Participating exhibitors are: bitforms gallery (New York), presenting digital works by Ellie Pritts and Auriea Harvey; Chela Mitchell Gallery (Washington, D.C.), showcasing portraits by Nate Langston Palmer; Elijah Wheat Showroom (Newburgh), presenting Liz Nielsen’s light paintings, Jon Verney’s Decomposites, and Rhiannon Adam’s collages of large-scale Polaroid emulsion lifts on watercolor paper; and Fahey/Klein Gallery (Los Angeles) showcasing works by the acclaimed Australian duo Honey Long and Prue Stent, exploring the relationship between femininity and the natural world. This exhibition is the first collaboration between PHOTOFAIRS’ editions in Shanghai and New York, facilitating cultural exchange between the fairs to offer audiences an expansive, cross-border view of the photographic medium.
PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai is additionally delighted to welcome back four leading cultural organizations that have contributed to the development of photographic art in its dedicated Culture Spaces sector. The Miguel de Cervantes Library (Shanghai) presents a solo show by Spanish multimedia artist Pilar Albarracín, while the Shanghai Doland Museum of Modern Art (Shanghai) showcases their Annual Report of Chinese Contemporary Photography and Video Arts. Also joining the Culture Spaces sector are Swatch Art Peace Hotel (Shanghai), presenting an exhibition featuring several emerging photographic and video artists who have participated in their residency program, including Zhou Peng, Luo Jian, Marc Aziz Ressang, Yanir Shani, Jeppe Lange and He Yu, and the international photography museum Fotografiska, showcasing works by Swedish-based duo Cooper Gorfer, known for their cross-media collaged portraits of women.
Returning to the fair this year, the Connected sector provides a platform for globally recognized brands to showcase the impact of photography on ventures beyond art, including fashion and luxury. This year’s exhibitors include valued fair partners SIGMA, bringing together the works of legendary Japanese masters Eikoh Hosoe, Daidō Moriyama, and Miyako Ishiuchi in a showcase that reevaluates the equilibrium of time and ritual; KWEICHOW MOUTAI, presenting Water Travels a Thousand Miles, an exhibition inspired by the geographical relationship between the Huangpu River – Shanghai’s main river – and Chishui River where Moutai wine derives from, and featuring artists such as Chen Qi, Dong Wensheng, and Lu Yuanmin; Tmall Luxury and their Seed Project, dedicated to supporting young artists and the development of digital art by featuring multimedia creations from three emerging artists; and Hahnemühle, which celebrates its 440th anniversary by debuting three new digital inkjet artist papers at the fair, alongside works from established artists Yang Yongliang, Yijun Liao, Chen Wei, Lin Zhipeng, Li Qiang and Gai Shaohua presented on more than 10 types of Hahnemühle papers. This year, the fair is also pleased to welcome Swedish furniture brand DUXIANA as the VIP Lounge sponsor. A selection of photography works will be displayed in the space, taking inspiration from architect and designer Bruno Mathsson’s 1960 ‘Sommarhus’ (Summer House).
Beyond the sector, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai also collaborates with lifestyle social media platform Xiaohongshu to enrich the photography scene in Shanghai during the fair week. A special exhibition space for Xiaohongshu’s Discovery project will be presented at the fair, spotlighting the platform’s outstanding photographers and image creators, alongside the Guide for Photography Art project, linking up with several art institutions in Shanghai to expand the impact of photography and video art, and a newly-launched Visual Portfolio project, inviting the audience to learn more about the exhibitors and their artists. The fair will also launch a limited range of co-branded products with Somma, including canvas bags and craft beers whose design is based on the main visual elements of this edition, echoing the active and open spirit of photography and expressing PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai and Somma’s shared commitment to supporting the continuous development of Shanghai's photography ecosystem.
The fair’s public program is also accompanied by a series of talks, convening leading voices in the field to exchange on the medium’s current issues and relevant topics. A complete schedule of talks and participants will be announced in the coming weeks. Organized by Creo and its majority shareholder Angus Montgomery Arts, the fair returns to the Shanghai Exhibition Centre April 25-28, 2024.
For more information on exhibitors and programming, visit photofairs.org/shanghai.
Image: XU Haifeng, Shanghai, 1990s. Courtesy of the artist and RUIPIN Gallery(Shanghai)