LUOBONIAN

Luo Bonian (1911-2002): Born in early 1911 in a family of county officials in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, his given name was Jun and his courtesy name was Bonian. He used the artistic name Wang Suxue. From a young age, he received education in traditional Chinese culture as well as Western finance. After graduation, he became an employee at the Bank of China while also beginning his artistic journey in photography. In 1934, he published his renowned work Drawing Water from a Well which pioneered the field of nude photography in China. Luo Bonian's works integrate both Chinese and Western techniques, with most of his pieces reflecting traditional Chinese aesthetic values. He is considered one of the representative photography artists of the Republic of China era. His landscape, portrait, and still-life photography captured precious moments of Chinese society during that specific period. Through his lens, one can see scenic landscapes, pedestrians and flying birds, as well as many still-life compositions and experimental works in the new artistic trend. His collage photography is regarded as a precursor to contemporary photography in China. His notable works include: Drawing Water from a Well, The West Lake in Spring, and Heavy Loads and Distant Journeys, which are featured in significant photography journals and collections from the Republic of China period, such as Fei Ying, Chinese Photography Magazine and Special Feature: Art Photography.

 

His works have been exhibited in various venues, including the photo exhibition "Friendship" in Shanghai, with inscriptions from Yu Dafu (1937); "Jinan International Photography Biennial" (2015); "Chinese Photography: Twentieth Century and Beyond", Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (2015); “The Chinese Photobook Collection – Luo Bonian, Yang Fudong”, Three Shadows +3 Gallery (2016); “Shanghai Aura: Exploring Photographic Modernity in Early 20^th Century China", Liu Haisu Art Museum (2017); "Literati Photography: Lyrical and Epic", Zhejiang Exhibition Hall (2017); "Shape of Light: 100 Years of Photography and Abstract Art", Tate Modern (2018); The 2^nd "Lang Jingshan Cup” Chinese New Pictorial Photography Biennale, Huai'an International Photography Museum (2018); "Archive and Collections: Photography in China and the Establishment of CAA Art Museum’s Department of Photography”, Art Museum of China Academy of Art (2019); "180 Years of Photography in China", Museum of Contemporary Art Yinchuan (2019); "1949: The Artistic Choices", Taikang Space (2019); "Professional Amateur and Emerging Modernity: Luo Bonian and His Contemporaries 1930s–1940s", Taikang Space (2021). In 2025, his work will be featured in "Global Pictorialism" at Tate Modern in London.

His works are held in several prestigious institutions, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, the Art Museum of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Liu Haisu Art Museum, Taikang Art Museum, Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, Photography Museum of Lishui, and Dali Photography Museum, among other important art institutions.

 

Currently working and living in Beijing, she serves as the Deputy Director of the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre. Since joining Three Shadows in 2018, she has been responsible for formulating, developing, and promoting strategies for annual education and international programs. She has delved deeply into and effectively integrated resources from well-known artists, curators, researchers, and art academies both domestically and internationally, building a vast international dialogue platform for cross-media integration and innovative expression in photography art. Since 2020, she has been in charge of the opening week and public projects of the Jimei × Arles International Photo Festival, actively enhancing public participation. In 2021, she initiated and successfully promoted the "Young Artists Running Program," inviting renowned artists and experts to support nearly 40 potential creators in their year-round systematic learning, fostering a new generation of artistic talents. In 2023, she assumed the role of the Exhibition Director of the program.

In recent years, she has participated in planning exhibitions such as the "Three Shadows Education Program Annual Exhibition" (2020-2022), "Leafing Through Photography: 101 Japanese Photobooks from Yingshang Photo Book Archive" (2022),“Resilience: 2024 the 13th Three Shadows Photography Award” and its tour exhibition at Xi'an Eurasia University (2024), and "Young Artist Running Program Exhibition " (2024).

 

She is also actively engaged in academic exchanges and educational activities. From 2022 to 2023, she was invited to give speeches on topics such as creation in photography art education at various art institutions and universities, including the Guardian Art Center, Hebei Academy of Fine Arts, Xiamen Academy of Arts and Design, Fuzhou University. Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Xi'an Eurasia University. In 2024, she served as a preliminary judge for the 13th Three Shadows Photography Award and was a nomination invitee for the "Annual of Chinese Contemporary Photography and Video Arts" at the Shanghai Duolun Museum of Modern Art .