THE 10th JIMEI × ARLES INTERNATIONAL PHOTO FESTIVAL
The 10th Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival opened on November 29, 2024, with the announcement of the three major awards during the opening week. Artist Jia Yu, nominated by curator Wang Paopao, won the 2024 "Jimei x Arles Discovery Award" for his exhibition Strangers. Taiwanese curators Yi-Ning Lin (Michelle) and Chia-Shin Yang won the 2024 Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image" with their project Metal Odyssey. Additionally, curatorial team Starry Chen and Sylvia Tan received a Special Mention for their project Ghost Dance. The inaugural "Portfolio Review Award" was presented to Du Shangheng.
The Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival is a cultural and artistic exchange project between Xiamen’s Jimei District and the Rencontres d'Arles in France. Since its establishment in 2015, the festival has showcased outstanding photography from around the world with a spirit of openness and diversity. It actively supports the creation, research, and curation of Chinese photography, enhancing its visibility to the public and amplifying its voice on the international stage. To date, Jimei × Arles has successfully held over 300 exhibitions, featuring selections from China, Asia, and the Rencontres d'Arles, and has presented the works of over 700 artists. It has organized more than 800 public events, attracting a total of over 500,000 visitors.
The 2024 Jimei × Arles Art Committee includes prominent members such as Cao Dan, Senior art journalist, curator, and documentary film director; Christoph Wiesner, Director of the Rencontres d'Arles in France; RongRong, contemporary Chinese photography artist and Co-founder and Co-director of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre; Gu Zheng, curator, critic, and professor at the School of Journalism at Fudan University; and Yan Qi, Executive Director of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre.
This year, the festival showcase 25 exhibitions, featuring a total of 2,000 works by artists from France, Spain, Germany, India, Japan, Canada, the United States, and China. Highlights include five exhibitions selected from the Rencontres d'Arles, covering themes such as AI, architectural landscapes, and environmental issues. There will be a focus on works by renowned photographers Masahisa Fukase and Luo Bonian, allowing audiences to experience the artistry of these top photographers. Additionally, three exhibitions in the "Crossover Photography" section will offer diverse perspectives from creators in music, video, and other fields. The "Jimei × Arles Discovery Award" will present eight exhibitions along with a group show under the "China Pulse" theme, featuring Chinese photographers. Another exhibition, showcasing finalists of the "Jimei × Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", aims to discover and cultivate young Chinese curators and researchers. This year, the festival also collaborates with vivo, Xiaohongshu Photography, and FUJIFILM, presenting works by global image creators and encouraging photography that reflects everyday life.
The highly anticipated "Jimei × Arles Discovery Award", co-initiated with Premium Discovery Partner Rednote Photography, has been dedicated to discovering and promoting Chinese image creators for a decade, featuring artists from Hong Kong and mainland China, Canada, and the United States this year. The "Jimei × Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", established with CHANEL, will announce the launch of award selection alongside a new public curatorial program titled "Curatorial Seminar". Through keynote speeches, group learning, and local practices, this program opens up new pathways for nurturing emerging Chinese curators. Additionally, a "Portfolio Review Award" has been introduced to the festival's public education program "Portfolio Review" to encourage and recognize new photography creators.
This year, the Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival focus more deeply on integrating with local culture, exploring the connections between photography and the cultural heritage of Xiamen and its surrounding areas. As an international platform for photographic arts, the 10th edition also connect with local art and culture through the "Parallel Exhibition" and "Isles Project". The “Parallel Exhibition” collaborates with Lohkah Hotel & Spa, Luchao Kulangsu Art Park, Red Dot Design Museum Xiamen, Topred Center for Contemporary Art (TCCA), SHaN SHaNG Art Space, MOCEAN, showcasing Xiamen's local art ecosystem in diverse forms, exploring the interaction between the city and art.
Leading up to the festival’s opening and throughout its duration, experts, scholars, artists, and curators from around the world will deliver a diverse array of events. These include university lecture tours, the "Curatorial Seminar", portfolio reviews, artist talks, workshops, guided tours, performances, and study trips. This rich lineup of activities will provide audiences with a unique artistic experience, creating memorable encounters through photography.