2023 Official

The 2023 Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image" recently held its preliminary and secondary selections in Beijing. Out of 53 valid submissions, five curatorial proposals were shortlisted and will be showcased as a group exhibition at the 9th Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival.

The Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image" was co-launched by the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and CHANEL in 2021. Through a series of measures including an open call for curatorial proposals, professional jury selection, master courses on curation, and project-funding support, the award aims to engage outstanding curators in interdisciplinary research and curatorial practice in the field of visual imagery, providing a fertile ground for contemporary visual arts. Over the past two years, the Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image" has supported 10 curatorial teams, allowing them to engage in dialogues and exchanges with the public and media. The two previous award winners have presented their curatorial exhibitions to the public and subsequently visited Europe for a research trip. Additionally, 150 curators have had the opportunity to learn from international seasoned curators and engage in discussions with them through the "Master Courses".

A committee of experts in photography, moving image, and curation has been formed for the 2023 "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image". The committee includes:

Carol Yinghua Lu: Art historian, curator, director of Inside-Out Art Museum, co-artistic director of the 8th Yokohama Triennale;
He Jing: Seasoned art critic, curator, and young scholar;

He Yining: Photography historian, curator;

RongRong: Chinese contemporary photography artist, co-founder and co-director of the Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival;

Yan Qi: Executive director of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and member of the artistic committee of the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival.

Five curatorial proposals were selected by the jury committee following two rounds of selection: Bodies of Informatics (Curatorial Team: Gwendoline Cho-ning Kam & Li Suchao), The Via Combusta (Curatorial Team: Gan Yingying & Zhou Yichen), Beyond the View (Curator: Wang Jiayi), Song for the Luddites (Curator: Feng Junyuan), and Intimacies of Excess (Curator: Wang Wenjia).

After in-depth discussions with the candidate curators, Carol Yinghua Lu, a jury member of this year's "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", expressed the following remarks:

"This year’s 11 proposals, from individual curators or curator teams, vividly demonstrate the great potential of perceiving and exploring the world through the lens of art. They creatively pose questions that inspire reflection and thought. Whether rooted in theoretical discourse or personal experience, the issues they address are serious and urgent and concern every one of us. They boast a broad artistic perspective, while their selection of works features a great depth of thought. In particular, they do not blindly follow the mainstream tastes and orientation in the art market. These shortlisted curators have a holistic view of exhibitions. In the process of transforming the concept of the exhibition into reality, they regard the exhibition as a creative expression and reflect on how the presentation of works, exhibition design, and public education and outreach activities can be constructed in a multi-layered and multi-dimensional exhibition language. The ideas and explorations in these works may blaze new trails and avoid falling into the stagnation that can be seen in the current landscape-oriented, entertainment-driven, and capital-centric art community."

The winner of this year’s Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image" will be selected and announced during the opening week of the festival. The winning proposal will be placed in an exhibition, thanks to funding from the programme. The winner will also be granted access to their annual mentorship and exchange programme, along with a cash prize of RMB 100,000.

In line with the shared mission of nurturing talent in contemporary Chinese visual arts by the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and CHANEL's support for adventurous emerging artists in various fields, the Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image" will continue to promote research and curatorial practice in visual arts. It aims to encourage young curators by adopting an open and diverse approach. In doing so, it not only expands its presence in the public eye but also contributes to the broader promotion and representation of outstanding contemporary visual creations.