Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and CHANEL co-present the Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image Finalist Exhibition and unveil the winner and Special Mentions of the 2022 Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image during the opening week of the 2022 Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival.
The Jimei x Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image, jointly launched by the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and CHANEL in 2021, aims to support young creative forces in photography and moving image art and to discover and nurture outstanding young Chinese curators and researchers working with these mediums. The 2022 Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image Finalist Exhibition features five curatorial proposals: Camera Obscura: The Apparatus of Eros and Image (Curatorial Team: Huang Yuting & Xu Zhibo), Differential Valley (Curatorial Team: Chen Junyao & Wang Buyun), The New Survivors (Curator: Wang Shuman), One Take (Curator: Hou Yuyao) and Neverlands and the End of World (Curatorial Team: Tangent Collective). The five proposals focus on exploring the language of photography and video and keenly capture and discuss the most pressing contemporary cultural and political issues from different perspectives. Their practice not only expands the field of photography but also constantly defines contemporary.
A jury committee of experts convened for the 2022 Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image, including:
– Cao Dan: Publisher of The Art Newspaper China, ArtReview China and LEAP;
– Christoph Wiesner: Director of the Rencontres d’Arles and co-director of Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival;
– Gu Zheng: Curator, critic, art director of the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, professor of Fudan University;
– He Jing: Seasoned art critic, curator and young scholar;
– He Yining: Photography historian, curator;
– Lisa Springer: Curator of Photography Touring Exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK;
– Lu Mingjun: PhD in History, curator, young researcher of the School of Philosophy, Fudan University, academic director of OCAT Shenzhen;
– RongRong: Chinese contemporary photography artist, co-founder and co-director of Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival
Following three rounds of discussion and a final selection by the jury committee, Wang Shuman with project The New Survivors received the 2022 Jimei x Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image.
As the jury mentioned, The occurrence of trauma, both encountering and facing it, as well as accepting, processing and dealing with it, has always been a crucial issue faced by human beings. Wang Shuman's exhibition scheme, "The New Survivors," employs a relatively complete structure and rich presentation methods combining a variety of styles, including photography, moving images and video installations, to tackle the issue of the complexity of trauma as a human experience, and to encourage us to contemplate together how to face it, thus interpreting it as a common experience and joint heritage of all humanity. Her approach and choice of artists not only reveal a rich and diverse texture of all sorts of traumas and related memories, but also urge one to wonder how traumatic memories can be visualized. Our fundamental question is, how to, via artistic expression, enhance the visibility of trauma, no matter its cause, no matter whether it is physical or mental, nor whether human beings go through it as an individual or as a group, to explore its sources and mechanisms, the possibilities of healing, and thus surviving it. Wang Shuman's curatorial scheme can also be deemed as an answer.
The project proposal The New Survivors will be realised through the programme, resulting in an exhibition in 2023. The winning curator Wang Shuman will participate in a mentoring and exchange programme and a cash prize.
The other 4 shortlisted proposals were highly commented by the Jury Committee. Camera Obscura: The Apparatus of Eros and Image (Curatorial Team: Huang Yuting & Xu Zhibo) received a Special Mention from jury Lu Mingjun: The working principle of camera obscura, the predecessor of the photographic camera, is based on a hidden process of image projection, meaning that a camera can be regarded not only as an object but also as the subject. Coincidentally, this hidden process is also reflected in human eroticism, as one often has to play the role of both the subject and the object in an erotic relationship. The curators have astutely recognized this unique perspective, and by contrasting it with the current age of overflowing emotional capitalism, they invite us to consider the prospect of reconnecting excess image production with illusive erotic magic.
Differential Valley (Curatorial Team: Chen Junyao & Wang Buyun) received a Special Mention from jury He Yining: Differential Valley is based on the personal experiences and research interests of curators Chen Junyao and Wang Buyun. By combining Chinese experiences with Chinese contemporary artistic practice, it attempts to establish a framework for analysis and exhibition that encompasses issues of agriculture, rural areas, population, ecological perception and diversified creations. The comprehensive approach to work selection of the curatorial team is reflected in the exhibition scheme, which, apart from contemporary art, also incorporates themes related to art production, social participation and practice thereof. During future cooperation, the curatorial team is expected to consider further the possibility of an in-depth combination of artistic practice in three field cases (Dafen, Shenzhen; Shouguang, Shandong, and Caoxian, Shandong).
One Take (Curator: Hou Yuyao) received a Special Mention from jury RongRong: One Take avoids excessive dependency on written text and instead attracts viewers’ participation in it concisely and directly by turning to the independent language of images and alterations of spatial depth. This scheme places photographic and video expression in the perspective of a camera operator and the objects visible in the lens, which lead to self-observation and cognition.
Neverlands and the End of World (Curatorial Team: Tangent Collective) received a Special Mention from jury Lisa Springer: Nerverlands and the End of World is a multifaceted exploration of the devastating effects of nuclear power. Through the skilful use of archive material, fictional films and contemporary art positions, the curatorial collective draws the attention of visitors to the exhibition to a complex situation of war, fear, propaganda as well as entertainment and utopia. It ’ s an important thematic project that has gained renewed importance and topicality, especially in the current times.
Gu Zheng, curator, critic, art director of the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival and professor of Fudan University, said, 'This award, uniquely positioned in China, will support young creative forces in photography and moving image art and the outstanding young Chinese curators that have become a vital force in driving the development of Chinese contemporary art and photography.
Expanding upon the House's rich history of cultural patronage, CHANEL launched the Chanel Culture Fund in March 2021, supporting a new generation of creators across different disciplines while promoting new ideas and diverse representation across society and culture. It is a global programme with a focus on two areas to champion the voice and creativity of young innovators: CHANEL is committing to a series of long-term partnerships with leading cultural institutions around the world, including the Power Station of Art in Shanghai, to catalyse new perspectives with innovative programmes; CHANEL also launched the CHANEL Next Prize to provide an emerging generation of creative risk-takers with resources to tackle ambitious new projects, creating conditions for artists to experiment with visionary ideas, test new forms of artmaking and collaborate across disciplines. CHANEL's continued dialogue with the world of cinema has become one of its signatures. The House is committed to creating the conditions for women and emerging filmmakers to thrive. CHANEL collaborates with numerous film festivals and institutions to spotlight women's lives, encouraging diverse expression and supporting new voices in filmmaking.
The launch of the Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image at the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival aims to encourage young curators to engage in photography to support outstanding contemporary creations in the field for further representation and diversity of voice. It reaffirms Chanel's commitment to the freedom of creation and human potential, thereby advancing a positive impact on the world.
