2024 Unbounded Group Exhibition

The "2024 Three Shadows Unbounded Group Exhibition" will showcase the brilliant works of 19 artists, selected from over 200 submissions. For the first time, the "Three Shadows Unbounded Project" is collaborating with the "Xiaohongshu Image Discovery Project" to jointly present this exhibition. Upholding the long-standing selection criteria, this year's Unbounded Art Exhibition emphasizes the artistic value, thoughtfulness, and completion of the works, while maintaining an open and inclusive attitude towards media and concepts. The goal is to present a diverse art scene that stimulates discussion and reflection.

The 19 artists' works encompass various media, including photography, installations, digital art, and painting. These pieces delve into themes such as personal situations and bodily experiences, natural environments and urban transformations, news realism and fictional narratives, surrealism and digital simulacra. These works not only showcase the artists' keen insights into current social phenomena but also provoke deep contemplation among viewers.

Against the backdrop of digital technology development, artificial intelligence has now become an essential creative tool. Zhang Dashen blends AI with alternative photography process, using ambrotype to fictionalize a late Qing Dynasty geographical survey story, thereby discussing imaging technology, decolonization, and the interplay between reality and fiction. Kelvin Zhu employs AI to reconstruct reality, generating multiple image universes through fragments of a daily life scene. Liu Kun, drawing from his understanding of football, uses AI to alter the traditional viewing experience of football leagues, humorously scrutinizing the sport as a spectacle.

Confronting reality, using photography as a prism to reflect society, has long been a crucial method. Haiyin Lin's work focuses on the Kazakh herders at the foot of the Altai Mountains, capturing their daily lives from a unique perspective. Wang Ziqi's work centers on children's education, using photographic observation to seek out Emile-like children and document their states before becoming adults. Chen Yiding's work uses appropriation and secondary creation to discuss the hidden connections between teeth whitening, orthodontics, and class imagery. Yubula, inspired by the vitality of Southeast Asia, turns his lens towards environmental changes under urbanization. Zhang Jingxiang focuses on the imagery of wind, using photography to perceive and make wind "visible." Li Xiaoning's work explores the issues arising from the migratory movements of people from Northeast China to the south, examining individual identity and group tendencies. JunYan Zhou focuses on discarded photos in the commercial photography industry. By recombining these photos, he creates new fictional contexts, thus constructing a hyper-real universe based on the images themselves.

Reflecting on homeland and loved ones, trying to capture moments of the past amid dramatic changes, is also a recurring theme. Lakshmi Tang uses porcelain pieces from her hometown in Shallow Water to collect environmental memories unique to her birthplace. Zhang Jiawen explores how images shape stereotypes of identity through photographs of her father. Chen Yizhu's work attempts to reconstruct her hometown through images, presenting emotional connections between the individual and the hometown in three chapters. Luo Zhiqun seeks to rebuild her connections with people in her hometown through photography, achieving reconciliation with her surrounding environment.

Many artists turn their perspectives inward, expressing their hesitations and subtle emotions. Nie Xin wanders through various parks near his home, using a wandering style of photography to articulate his phase of anxiety. shadowINred starts from intimate relationships, uncovering subtle emotional fluctuations reflected in dieting behaviors and leftover food. Donuchen's work focuses on minute aspects of life, using symbolic elements like lakes and butterflies to explore various states of emotion. Chen Gang sees painting as an emotional outlet, expressing his concerns about the present and future. Han Liping focuses on everyday objects, using photography to highlight the unnoticed ordinary poetry.

Since 2018, the "Unbounded project " initiated by Three Shadows Xiamen has collaborated with over a hundred artists. We sincerely hope this project can become a platform for discovering and engaging in visual art creation, thereby extending and promoting artists' practice and communication.