Preface
For 2022 Three Shadows Unbounded Group Exhibition, 28 groups of artists' works were selected from nearly 200 artists' submissions to present this important annual group exhibition project of Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Art Centre. With the concept of openness, diversity and encouragement of new talent, the selection process is based on a combination of completion, reflection, and aesthetics, and on the premise of adhering to academic standards, in an attempt to present an exhibition site that does not set boundaries, and constantly stimulates dialogue and creativity.
In the face of the complex reality of the world, the artists in this exhibition use their respective media of photography, video, installation and painting to explore many key themes of contemporary art. Among them, based on the intricate relationship between human and nature, Liu Yaozhi's and Yu Yu's works focus on how dried up water source expose the short-sightedness of humans and explore the contradictory relationship between human and nature in terms of conquest and dependence. In Li Xuemeng's work, nature becomes a field for projecting the self and exploring the meaning for it. Lunhua.Kong's work, on the other hand, depicts a more purely natural landscape, allowing the flash in her hands to interplay with the sunset. Huang Jiahao uses a microscope to observe natural objects, using photographic techniques to extend the visual senses. Xiang Yimin uses the medium of print to recreate his meditation when facing nature.
With a view to human consciousness and reality, Hatcher Yu focuses on nature at a subconscious level, using immersive audio-visual space to present the symbols of nature in the imaginary world. Tang Chunhong and Jing Haonan look at the unconscious dimension of human language, using fragmented abstract images to construct the real world. Through the purification of situations or events, Yin Hang's works use images as material to explore and reshape the possibilities of the image world landscape in a state of image overload.
On the level of personal situation, Hu Tianyuan, Codie Yan and Chen Qingyang use the medium of photography to explore the relationship between feminism, psychological states and social situations from a personal perspective. Through a series of installations and performances, Mu Tianyu and Li Ruochen contemplate their own existence and the contradictions between the individual and the collective. Li Wanyi and Yang Jinmin, on the other hand, use painting and collage to explore the depths of their own selves and look into their inner world.
In the face of the globalisation of capital, Zhu Sixuan and Chen Zhenfu focus on the global logistics system and the flow of capital attached to it, reflecting on the core essence of capital and the alienation of human beings, and exploring the hegemony of capital and the resistance of individuals. Xie Jingcheng and You Bojia's interactive installation reflects on the relationship between human and machine, and considers the emotional connection between them. The discussion of mass media and the public opinion environment unfolds in the works of Qiu Yiran, Sun Haoyuan and Mona Leau: In what way is unfreedom experienced as freedom in a post-truth context? Where is the boundary between reality and desire, between the personal and the public? How do images form the lens through which reality is distorted? Their works attempt to raise these questions.
Hometowns and families are also the subject of many of the artists' works. Yan Jialin, Tang Zeyu and Zhuang Zhe focus on memories from families. Intimacy and estrangement, forgetting and remembering, are condensed in photographs. Zhang Xinyu and Ma Leyi look at their hometowns, which are gradually becoming unfamiliar to them, and use their photographs to place their hometown at the intersection of spiritual connection and the changes of the era. Here, photography returns to its most essential function: to preserve time.
The Unbounded Exhibition Project is launched by Three Shadows Xiamen in 2018. It has so far collaborated with more than 70 artists for in-depth exhibitions. The Unbounded Project seeks to discover outstanding visual art creators, provide them with a professional platform to showcase their work, and encourage them to enrich their artistic practice. The 2022 Three Shadows Unbounded Group Exhibition also features an art book exhibition and screenings, showcasing the work of artists who have participated in the Unbounded Exhibition Project over the years through a wider range of media.
Artists
陈清扬 Chen Qingyang
陈珍福 Chen Zhenfu
胡天源 Hu Tianyuan
黄家豪 Huang Jiahao
荆浩南 Jing Haonan
孔论华 Lunhua.Kong
蔻迪 Codie Yan
李若晨 Li Ruochen
李宛怡 Li Wanyi
李雪蒙 Li Xuemeng
刘默霏 Mona Leau
刘曜植 Liu Yaozhi
马乐义 Ma Leyi
穆天语 Mu Tianyu
邱怡然 Qiu Yiran
孙浩源 Sun Haoyuan
唐春红 Tang Chunhong
唐则宇 Tang Zeyu
向羿旻 Xiang Yimin
谢京成&游伯嘉 Xie Jingcheng & You Bojia
严佳林 Yan Jialin
杨晋闽 Yang Jinmin
尹航 Yin Hang
于皓丞 Hatcher Yu
于宇 Yu Yu
张心榆 Zhang Xinyu
朱思璇 Zhu Sixuan
庄喆 Zhuang Zhe