CHINA 8

The exhibition “Works in Progress” in the Museum Folkwang furnishes an extensive overview of current Chinese photography in real-time. On show are brand-new works by twenty-four Chinese photographers and artists, which are also being simultaneously exhibited in museums and art galleries in China. This distinguishes the show from all previous surveys of contemporary Chinese photography.

Over the past 10 years, the international art world has been observing the explosive energy unleashed in the field of Chinese art photography. This development has been characterised by vibrant experimentation, new funding structures and expertise, growing public interest and a new generation of students who are keen to engage with the international scene.
The curatorial concept formulated by William A. Ewing and Holly Roussell operates like a wide-angle lens which is not only focusing on only well-known names such as Wang Qingsong, Mo Yi, Jiang Pengyi or Ma Qiush, but also seeking out other outstanding photographers, whose work still has yet to gain international recognition. The show features classical photographers and conceptualists, together with painter- photographers and multimedia artists, who represent quite diverse artistic positions. Their work addresses personal subjects or examines the world in all its chaotic complexity and contradictions. Criticism of, and resistance to, authority, the rapid social transformation, urban-rural tensions, sexuality and the body, interrogation of their chosen medium and the integration of new communications technologies complete the spectrum of themes embraced by China's current photography scene.

Works by:
Adou, Alfred Ko, Aspartime, Cai Dongdong, Chen Shaoxiong, Chen Wei, Du Yanfang, Eason Tsang Ka Wai, Jiang Pengyi, Li Zhengde, Liang Weizhou, Lin Ke, MA DAHA, Ma Qiusha, Mo Yi, Shan Feiming, Shao Wenhuan, South Ho Siu Nam, Wang Ningde, Wang Qingsong, Wang Youshen, Xiao Xiao, Zhuang Hui, Zong Ning

CHINA 8 is being organised by the Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur e.V. Bonn. The exhibition is sponsored by the Brost-Stiftung and Evonik Industries AG. Exclusive partners of the exhibition are Finnair Plc and Düsseldorf Airport.

Find further information on CHINA 8 here …