Chinese Photography: Twentieth Century and Beyond

Recalling ten years ago, I must credit the Yu-Jian Oracle International Curators Conference as the reason for organizing the exhibition Chinese Photography: Twentieth Century and Beyond. I remember attending the Oracle conference for the first time in 2009, in Arles, France. It was an incredible meeting, with participants coming from many different countries. There was only one topic, and that was to discuss issues related to photography. In the span of just a few days, I was deeply moved by their passion for photography. The majority of the experts have had decades of experience in the field, including senior photography curators and collection managers of national archives.

 

I felt honored to participate in such a special conference and I had never got a similar experience before. During the conference, we encountered so many astonishing photographic works. Through the museum directors and curators' introductions, I learned important details about each piece: the processes, year of creation, background stories… they all had been carefully preserved in local collections and archives. We gained a lot of important information from these works. In the following years, I participated in each of the Oracle conferences, from the meeting in Delphi, Greece in 2013 to the one in Vienna, Austria in 2014. Each meeting and each year brought different emotions and surprises.

 

No matter whether it is held in a small town in Europe or a city in a developed country, the Oracle conference focuses principally on the preservation and dissemination of photography. Major international museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York or the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, began collecting and exhibiting photography over thirty years ago. In the last few years, many more museums have highlighted photography as an invaluable part of their institutions, such as the Tate Modern. Yet, we find that very few public museums in China have set up photography collections so far. In other words, there are almost no collections, researches, or exhibitions dedicated to photography in China.

 

In the winter of 2014, our wish was fulfilled when Three Shadows successfully won the bid for the Yu-Jian Oracle International Curators Conference 2015 at the Oracle Vienna meeting. With the Oracle coming to Beijing soon, what would be expected in China? Most of the curators and experts would be visiting China for the first time, and they didn't know much about Chinese photography before. Besides visiting the Forbidden City, Great Wall, and 798 Art District, where would they find Chinese photography? As a civilian institution that has operated for many years, the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre was aware of the fact that very few institutions were dedicated to photographic research in China. With the explosion of photo fairs and festivals in recent years, we believed that the organization, publication, exhibition of original works of photography and archives were very important.

 

During the past decade, Chinese photography has developed dramatically, yet many  great works of photography are still unknown to the public. As a public space operated for years, we are facing many critical challenges. How do we convey the appeal of photography to the public? What is the history of Chinese photography? Growing up on this land, we access and appreciate the precious artworks left by our predecessors. Whether we aim to research the artistic origin of photography or make contributions to the future of photographic theory, we cannot abandon its history. Up until now, there has been a lack of photo museums in China, which makes it impossible for the public to experience the development of photography over a century in China. In the months of preparation for the Oracle, we visited many artists at home, their relatives, and collectors throughout the country in search of photographs. We saw many masterpieces safeguarded in their hands. However, we also found that many photographers did not protect their vintage prints well. It was a pity to see some early masterpieces get eroded.

 

The exhibition Chinese Photography: Twentieth Century and Beyond and the Yu-Jian Oracle International Curators Conference concluded with huge success. It would not have been possible without the help of our curatorial team. They gave us many constructive suggestions, allowing us to make this exhibition happen smoothly in such a short time. I would like to extend thanks to Wu Hung, Chen Shen, Li Mei, Gu Zheng, Juan I-Jong, Cai Meng, Gao Chu, Stephanie H. Tung, and Shen Chen. My special thanks go to the Social Archive of Chinese Photography at the China Academy of Art. Without their support, we would not have this beautiful book. I must thank Mr. Gao Chu in particular for his efforts in facilitating the exhibition and conference which were jointly organized by Three Shadows and the Social Archive of Chinese Photography of the China Academy of Art.

 

It is a great pleasure and honor that, a decade later, we are able to present this significant exhibition once again at the Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival with the support of Homeking. We extend our sincere gratitude to Mr. Chen Shen for lending his valuable collection once more. We are also profoundly thankful to Zhejiang Photographic Press for their years of effort in editing and revising the exhibition catalogue, which has been published this year in both Chinese and English editions. This publication allows the exhibition to transcend the constraints of time and space, providing ongoing reference for the study of Chinese photographic history.This exhibition, as a continuation of the one from ten years ago, follows the original curatorial framework and academic focus. It incorporates important new works that have emerged over the past decade, featuring a total of over sixty exceptional vintage prints alongside a series of significant publications and related historical materials. We hope this presentation offers the audience insights into the progression and essential context of Chinese photography's development over the past century.

 

 

Text / RongRong