2016.09.08 Thu, by
PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai 2016

[Press Release]
PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, Asia Pacific’s leading art fair dedicated to photography & moving image, opens this week

● Third edition of PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai runs September 9 – 11 at Shanghai Exhibition Center
● 2016 edition is the most international yet – 50 galleries from 15 countries covering 24 cities
● Unique opportunities to meet and listen to key artists, art world experts and opinion leaders at the fair
● Tickets on sale via www.photofairs.org, including limited VIP tickets
● Press Preview: Thursday 8 September. Accreditation via media@worldphoto.org
● Tweet this: .@photo_fairs | Shanghai, Asia Pacific’s leading art fair dedicated to photography opens this Friday. www.photoshanghai.org #PHOTOFAIRS

“PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai is the most important and prestigious gateway for collectors and enthusiasts in Asia to embrace this dynamic medium in art. Highly visual and conceptual, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai is joined by the best international galleries and artists – going to the fair is a fantastic experience.”
Lu Xun, Art collector and Director of Sifang Art Museum, China

PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai welcomes visitors back to the Shanghai Exhibition Center on Friday 9 September for the opening of its third edition, following the Collectors Preview on Thursday 8 September. In addition to an extensive artistic program, visitors to the fair will have the unique opportunity to meet and listen to leading artists and experts brought together by PHOTOFAIRS to discuss key themes and ideas seen throughout the fair.

PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai 2016 will present its most international edition yet, with 50 leading galleries from 24 cities across 15 countries, including new galleries from South Korea, Belgium, Israel and Iran.

Continuing in its commitment to celebrate key trends within the international photography market, the 2016 edition of the fair will offer unparalleled access to work spanning the full history of the photographic medium on an international scale, all under one roof.

Exhibited works include images by leading artists from the international contemporary photography market such as Mona Kuhn, Cai DongDong, Wim Wenders, Ren Hang, Vik Muniz, Shen Wei, Candida Höfer, Wang Youshen and Jiang Pengyi among many others. Fashion photography will continue to be a strong theme at the fair, with the work of Mario Sorrenti, Patrick Demarchelier and Jeanloup Sieff for sale. In addition, iconic work by 19th Century pioneers such as Gustave le Gray, world famous photojournalists Elliott Erwitt and William Klein and 20th Century masters such as August Sander, Robert Mapplethorpe and Irving Penn will be exhibited.

PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, conceived and managed by the World Photography Organisation, is the leading art fair solely dedicated to photography and moving image in Asia. With the booming demand for photography as a collectable art form in the region, the fair has, since launching in 2014, become the benchmark and reference within the Asian market. Cementing PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai’s importance, the 2016 fair will be visited by leading collectors and curators including Budi Tek (Founder, Yuz Museum, China), Wang Xiye (collector), Lu Xun (Director, Sifang Art Museum, China), Qiao Zhibing, Mikala Tai (Director 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art, Sidney), Todd Brandow (Executive Director, Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis, New York, Paris, Lausanne) and Nathalie Herschodorfer (Directrice, Museé des Beaux-Arts, Le Locle) amongst others.

Talking about PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai’s unique position, Christopher Phillips, Adjunct Curator, International Center of Photography comments “The photography market in Asia has seen an unprecedented burst of activity in recent years. Regional institutions and private collectors, having finally recognized the significance of photography as a visual medium, are now making serious acquisitions of top-tier historic and contemporary work. PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, because of its energy, professionalism and commitment to the highest standards of quality, has been one of the leading factors in photography’s new visibility among Asian collectors.”

2016 Program Highlights
The 2016 edition introduces dynamic new sectors to celebrate the diversity and nurture knowledge about the photographic medium. Highlights include:

Insights | New Approaches to Photography Since 2000
Visitors to the fair will be the first to experience Insights, a curated exhibition of museum-quality works offering unique pieces for private sale.  Co-curated by leading independent curator Biljana Ciric and PHOTOFAIRS’ Artistic Director Alexander Montague-Sparey, the inaugural edition will look at new approaches to traditional photography techniques and challenge our perceptions of the medium. The exhibition will feature work by 13 artists including Peter Beard, Birdhead, Geng Jianyi, Lee Kit, Helmut Newton, Shao Wenhuan and Sukho Kang – each of whom work in original and breathtaking ways. Insights will be part of all future PHOTOFAIRS editions, with a new cutting-edge theme each year.

Platform – Supporting galleries new to mainland China
Platform spotlights emerging international galleries that have never before been seen at an art fair in mainland China. Galleries include: The Empty Gallery (Hong Kong) presenting a solo presentation of Amit Desai; Elipsis Projects (London, Istanbul) presenting Ahmet Ertuğ; Samuel Maenhoudt Gallery (Knokke, Brussels) exhibiting work by Antonie Rose, Yves Ullens and Romina Ressia; Gallery Mir (Art Brunch) (Busan) presenting a solo exhibition of JiYen Lee and Gallery Irritum (Daegu) presenting Seihon Cho.

Connected – Celebrating artists working with photography and moving-image
Overseen by Feng Boyi, Art Director of He Xiangning Art Museum and acclaimed curator and art critic, Connected celebrates artists working within the realm of moving-image in China. The sector underlines the importance of video in relation to photography at the fair and for the first time, visitors can purchase video works from the following galleries; 1933 Contemporary (Shanghai), Hunsand Space (Beijing), L-Art Gallery (Chengdu), Leo Gallery (Shanghai & Hong Kong) and Vanguard Gallery (Shanghai).

Conversations – Leading artists and experts in discussion
Visitors will enjoy valuable insights from leading artists and experts through engaging panel discussions and intimate ‘in-conversations’. Experts include Vanessa Hallett (Worldwide Head of Photographs, Senior Vice President, PHILLIPS), Qiao Zhibing (collector), RongRong (artist), Jiyoon Lee (Director, Seoul Museum of Art), Ren Hang (artist), Michael Wolf (artist), Liu Heung Shing (Founder, SCoP), Zhang Hanlu (art critic, independent curator), Wu Jianru (Senior Editor, LEAP) amongst others. The experts will discuss key themes and trends seen throughout the fair, including the future of Korean photography, collecting, curating and an in-depth look at artistic practices.

Book signings – personal signings with internationally acclaimed artists
Daily book signings with artists including; Anderson & Low (CAMERA WORK), Michael Wolf (M97 Gallery), Lu Nan (Hive Center for Contemporary Art), Olivo Barbieri (Matthew Liu Fine Art), Denis Darzacq (ON/Gallery), Takashi Arai (Timeless Gallery) and Ying Ji (Jiali Gallery).

For full program, please see www.photofairs.org

2016 PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai participating galleries

Main

• A Thousand Plateaus Art Space (Chengdu)
• Art+ Shanghai Gallery (Shanghai)
• Aura Gallery (Beijing, Taipei)
• BANK (Shanghai)
• BEETLES + HUXLEY (London)
• Between Art Lab (Shanghai, Beijing)
• Beyond Gallery (Taipei)
• Blindspot Gallery (Hong Kong)
• Bluerider ART (Taipei)
• CAMERA WORK (Berlin)
• Cipa Gallery (Beijing)
• Galerie DUMONTEIL (Paris, Shanghai, New York)
• Augusta Edwards Fine Art / Norman Parkinson Archive (London)
• EMON Photo Gallery (Tokyo)
• Flowers Gallery (London, New York, Hong Kong)
• Froots Gallery (Shanghai, Tel Aviv)
• Hive Center for Contemporary Art (Beijing)
• HS Gallery (Shanghai)
• In The Gallery (Copenhagen)
• JIALI GALLERY (Beijing)
• Gallery Koo (Seoul)
• Matthew Liu Fine Arts (Shanghai)
• M97 Gallery (Shanghai)
• Magnum Photos  (London, Paris)
• Mirko Mayer gallery / m-projects (Cologne)
• Mohsen Gallery (Tehran)
• NONG ART (Shanghai)
• OFOTO & ANART Gallery (Shanghai)
• ON/gallery (Beijing)
• OstLicht. Gallery for Photography (Vienna)
• Pan-View (Zhengzhou)
• PHOTO12 GALERIE (Los Angeles, Paris)
• see+ gallery (Beijing)
• Galerie Adnan Sezer (Paris)
• ShanghART Gallery (Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore)
• Three Shadows +3 Gallery (Beijing, Xiamen)
• Time Space Gallery (Beijing)
• Timeless Gallery (Beijing)
• UP Gallery (Hsinchu)
• Stephan Witschi (Zürich)

Platform

• Elipsis Projects (London, Istanbul)
• The Empty Gallery (Hong Kong)
• Gallery Irritum (Daegu)
• Samuel Maenhoudt Gallery (Knokke, Brussels)
• Gallery Mir (Art Brunch) (Busan)

Connected

• 1933 Contemporary (Shanghai)
• Hunsand Space (Beijing)
• L-Art Gallery (Chengdu)
• Leo Gallery (Shanghai, Hong Kong)
• Vanguard Gallery (Shanghai)

PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco
Building on the success in China, PHOTOFAIRS will launch in San Francisco in January 2017.
Like PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, the San Francisco edition will provide a unique platform for American, Asian and European galleries to showcase their work to international collectors. Visitors will enjoy a new and exciting platform where these dynamic worlds are brought together to celebrate the very best photography on a truly international scale.