[Press Release]
London, August 22, 2017: With less than one month until the opening of its fourth edition, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai today announces the prominent Chinese collectors and their artworks for its new Collectors’ Exhibition alongside the complete 2017 gallery list. The fair’s Presenting Partner, Porsche, also announces the debut of its ‘Fascination’ exhibition.
PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai was created to serve the growing demand for the collection of contemporary photography in China and across the Asia Pacific. The fair’s success since launching in 2014 has been key in driving the Chinese art market forward and positioning photography as the collectable medium of our generation.
Through its hand-selected galleries and curated public programming, PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai meets the demand for collectable, fine-art photography by giving individual collectors and curators from public museums and private collections unparalleled access to the leading Chinese and international artists working at the cutting-edge of photography and the medium’s foremost experts.
PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai 2017 is specifically curated so that artists seen in the Collectors’ Exhibition can also be heard in the Conversations talks and events program, and bought from many of the fifty galleries participating at the fair.
Collectors’ Exhibition: Telling Tales, powered by De Beers
© CHEN WEI Idol Behind The Curtains 2009. Courtesy of Adrien Cheng (K11 Art Foundation)
The Collectors’ Exhibition, powered by De Beers, presents four of China’s most influential art collectors – Adrian Cheng (K11 Art Foundation), David Chau (Cc Foundation), Jenny Wang (Fosun Foundation) and Thomas Shao (Modern Media Group)– each of whom has given unprecedented access to their private collections.
Exhibition curator Erin Barnett (Director of Collections and Exhibitions, International Center of Photography, New York) describes the show as “a unique opportunity to see photographic and video works from some of China, Japan and Europe’s most compelling artists”. It is the first time these collections have been seen together publicly.
Confirmed artists in the exhibition include renowned artists René Burri, Annie Leibovitz, Yang Fudong, Araki Nobuyoshi and Robert Capa. They are presented alongside the next generation of contemporary artists of Chen Wei, Cheng Ran, Jiang Pengyi and Zhang Kechun.
Conversations talks and events
© PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai
In addition, several of the Collectors’ Exhibition artists will give talks during the fair and will be sold by the fair’s galleries. This includes contemporary artist Jiang Pengyi (seen in Jenny Wang’s collection) whose work is also featured in the Insights exhibition courtesy of Blindspot Gallery (Hong Kong), and in the stand presentation of ShanghART Gallery (Shanghai, Beijing & Singapore).
Younger artists from the Collectors’ Exhibition will also give audiences in-depth talks on their practices. This includes Shen Wei (being sold at the fair by Flowers Gallery, London, New York & Hong Kong) and Cheng Ran (in Adrian Cheng’s collection and Insights courtesy of Leo Xu Projects, Shanghai).
The showcase of private collections is balanced with an exploration of building a photography collection for a private or public museum in Conversations with Naomi Cass (Director, Centre of Contemporary Photography, Melbourne), Jean François Dubos (Director, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris), Christopher Philips (curator) and Arthur Walter (Collector & Founder, Arthur Walther Collection).
For full Conversations schedule click here.
© YANG FUDONG International Hotel No.8, 2010. Courtesy of David Chau (Cc Foundation)
Fifty galleries and institutions spanning 16 counties and 28 cities are now confirmed for PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai 2017, making it the most international edition to date. The fair focuses on artistic presentations that challenge the traditional understanding of the photographic medium.
Highlights include:
- Live performance-installations from Jordan Sullivan (Rubber Factory, New York) and Oliver Herring (OCAT Xi’an and BANK, Shanghai) alongside the work of Roman Singner (Galerie Stephan Witschi, Zurich), He Chengyao (Shanghai Himalaya’s Museum, Shanghai) and Zhang Huan (PACE Gallery, New York, Palo Alto, London, Paris, Seoul and Beijing).
- Iconic work from photography master Irving Penn presented by leading New York dealer Robert Mann Gallery, along with key pieces from the ground-breaking mid-century artists Alexander Rodchenko and Man Ray (Books &Photographs, Paris) alongside Daido Moriyama (Taka Ishii Gallery, Tokyo).
- Artistic duo Birdhead (ShanghART Gallery) and Liu Shiyuan (Leo Xu Projects, Shanghai) will challenge the traditional scale of photography by creating large-scale installations and immersive environments at the fair.
Presenting Partner Porsche to debut ‘Fascination’
Porsche’s constant pursuit of the perfect sports car is driven by its passion for it. This heritage has been regarded as a cultural icon by its fans. Porsche will show visitors the story behind the ‘fascination’ for the brand through a unique four-part exhibition at PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai.
This will include newly-commissioned work by photographer Oliver Kruning, which uses Porsche as its inspiration, together with images from Porsche’s exciting triumph at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans and “Kinderzimmerhelden”, a beautiful book by photographer Christian Blanck dedicated to childhood heroes, co-authored by the Porsche Museum. The exhibition will also include preview works by young Chinese artist Wu Ding and from Ma Haijiao, nominee of Porsche’s first ‘Young Chinese Artist of the Year’ award.
