A Wing Shya retrospective: Exhibition & Book Launch
[Press Release]
Produced by independent art and culture platform, FORWARD ASSEMBLY, the touring exhibition of internationally acclaimed photographer and film director Wing Shya (夏永康) entitled “Acting Out: 25 Years Behind a Camera” will be unveiled on 7 November 2017 at Shanghai Centre of Photography (SCôP) in Shanghai’s West Bund, to coincide with the annual art festivals West Bund Art Fair and Art 021. This exhibition is an official programme of SCôP and will run until 14 January 2018.
Additionally, the very first photography books (deluxe box set of 3 books, limited 1,000 sets) of the artist will be officially launched at the opening with Shya’s presence, revealing exclusive images taken from a variety of remarkable editorials and on influential film sets during his partnership with legendary film director Wong Kar-Wai. Some of the finest papers were meticulously chosen for printing to express the various artistic visions of Shya.
Exhibition
Showcasing over 100 well-known and unseen photographs from films, editorials, personal works and collages along with videos, the multi-media exhibition is a re-edited retrospective of Shya’s works from various areas. His works feature some of the most iconic subjects in film and fashion culture including Leslie Cheung, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, Shu Qi, Daniel Wu, to name a few. The exhibition is curated by Karen Smith, Artistic Director of SCôP and renowned specialist in China’s contemporary art scene.
Books
Designed by London based creative studio Jane & Jeremy and edited by Shelly Verthime, a limited edition of 1,000 deluxe box sets of 3 photography books displaying carefully selected body of work by Wing Shya will be launched at the exhibition opening at SCôP. The books are categorized into three themes:
Book I: Cinematic
It contains cinematic images from on and off film sets through Wing Shya’s eyes, displaying a variety of artistic directions in the photos.
Book II: Collage
It is a photo book mimicking Wing Shya’s personal scrap book with collage works, graphic design, poems and photography including the sadness of tears which he produced for the film Happy Together 《春光乍洩》(1997) inspired by his experiences and interests.
Book III: Oriental
o It contains over 50 black and white images following the theme of oriental beauty featuring places and faces. The loose-leaf binding allows collectors to display or frame the photographs.
The sets will be available for pre-order on FORWARD ASSEMBLY from 1 October.
Media are invited to attend the press preview in the presence of Wing Shya (artist), Karen Smith (curator) and Yvette Tang (founder of FORWARD ASSEMBLY) on 7 November Tuesday (11am-3pm) at Shanghai Centre of Photography
One-to-one/phone/e-mail interview and shooting with the artist can be arranged in Hong Kong and Shanghai, please contact Jan Pang (+852 9180 0886 janpangwm@icloud.com) for details.
Vernissage
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Tuesday 7 November 2017
11.00 a.m. – 3.00 p.m.
Press preview in the presence of Wing Shya (artist), Karen Smith (curator) and Yvette Tang
(founder of FORWARD ASSEMBLY)
Exhibition period
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7 November 2017 – 10 January 2018
Tuesday to Sunday | 10.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. (open on all national holidays)
Shanghai Centre of Photography, 2555-1 Long Teng Avenue, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
About Wing Shya
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Born in 1964, Wing Shya is one of the most prolific Asian contemporary artists to transmute among film, arts and fashion. After graduating from Emily Carr Institute in Canada, he returned to Hong Kong and founded the award-winning design studio, Shya-la-la Workshop. Appointed by film director Wong Kar-Wai as his exclusive still photographer and graphic designer in 1997, Shya began their collaboration on films including Happy Together, In The Mood for Love, Eros and 2046.
In 2006, he was invited by the prestigious Mori Art Museum in Tokyo as the first non-Japanese photographer to exhibit his inaugural show, Distraction/Attraction, marking the beginning of uncountable amount of international collaborations and projects that continued to mold him into a multidisciplinary and diversified artist.
In recent years, he has also been commissioned by some of the world’s most coveted fashion names including Louis Vuitton, Maison Martin Margiela and Rolex for some of their visual images.
About FORWARD ASSEMBLY
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FORWARD ASSEMBLY is a multidisciplinary, multimedia arts & culture platform that brings together all genres of artists, young and established, from different parts of the world. This platform is a gateway for artists and window for art enthusiasts. It aims to promote the importance of aesthetics and intellectual properties in everyone’s life, and the integration of different cultures and communities. Every production by FORWARD ASSEMBLY will be original, unique, and able to bring audience completely new sensations and inspirations.
About Shanghai Centre of Photography (SCôP)
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A non-profit making organization, SCôP was founded in May 2015 by Mr. Liu Heung Shing – an accomplished Hong Kong photo-journalist and Pulitzer-prize winning photography. It is the first such accredited art institution dedicated to photography in China, and Shanghai’s premier museum for the photographic medium.
