'Impressions' at this year's Shanghai Photofairs
The Swatch Art Peace Hotel participates in the 9th edition of PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai from April 25 to 28, where it presents the exhibition IMPRESSIONS: a selection of emerging photographers and video makers who have recorded their “impressions” during their residency with us: impression of a place, impression of a movement, impression of a state of mind.
The participating artists include Luo Jian, Zhou Peng, Marc Aziz Ressang, Yanir Shani, Jeppe Lange, Dani Gherca, and He Yu. They employ diverse creative approaches and perspectives, suggest a variety of points of view, which are also the result of different techniques.
Exhibition: 25 to 28 April, 2024
Opening hours:
Collector preview: Thursday: 2-8pm | Friday: 12-8pm
Public days: Saturday: 12-8pm | Saturday; Sunday: 12-6pm
Venue: Shanghai Exhibition Center, 1000 YanAn Road (C), near Tongren Road
Artist Luo Jian worked as a photojournalist in the Chinese press for more than ten years, and then moved to France to become an independent documentary photographer. His photography works try to discover the potential connection between people and modern society, find the contradictions and compromises between them, and present them to the public. Therefore, Luo Jian always focuses on individuals or groups in various geopolitical, religious, and cultural backgrounds. He pays attention to the living conditions of regions with different development levels during the historical turning point. He believes there is always some kind of truth that exists both on and off camera, although it may take time to prove it.
Zhou Peng was born in Shanghai, China 1983. Formally trained to drawing at age thirteen, then studied Visual Art of Chinese Traditional Theatre at Shanghai Theatre Academy and M.F.A Photography at Savannah College of Art and Design. Peng focuses on his understanding of the Chinese philosophical concepts of Relativity, Change, and Harmony, and expresses personal sentiments through the artworks. His aesthetic directions are profoundly influenced by Western painting, Contemporary photography, and Chinese art and opera. He lives and works in Atlanta.
Dutch photographer and filmmaker Marc Aziz Ressang is an artist who interacts with the world and tells stories through photography. His work emphasizes the diversity of human experiences and the potential connections between cultures. Ressang captures the nuances of his surroundings with his lens to provoke thought among his audience. He conducts thorough historical research on his shooting locations and prepares extensively before filming, ensuring that each image conveys the depth and complexity of the story.
As a visual artist, Yanir Shani uses imagery and installations to present his meticulous explorations and contemplations on the environment and relationships. In 2018, Yanir began the "Safari" project where he conducted in-depth observations of zoos around the world, focusing on the interactions between visitors and caged animals, capturing real eye contact and displaying the blurry architecture that separates them. Through this, the artist seeks to explore the similarities between zoos and human society, linking zoos to concepts of control, ideology, perception, and power.
Danish visual artist Jeppe Lange views AI as a creative partner, crafting captivating visual pieces with emerging technologies. Jeppe Lange’s work is characterized by its rapid, flickering imagery and smooth transitions, offering a visual feast to the audience. His creative process involves using Google's image search engine to select pictures that are strikingly similar in patterns, colors, and compositions, thereby creating engaging streams of images. In this process, he challenges the traditional boundaries of art in terms of scale, emotion, and context.
As a visual artist drawn to the dynamics of urban landscapes, Dani Ghercã explores the profound meanings of urban environments with his unique photographic techniques. In his work, he delves into the transformation of the city as a symbol of data flow. Using techniques such as underexposure and distinctive perspectives, he transforms traditional urban features into lines and angles representing data flow, presenting a familiar yet unfamiliar viewpoint. This approach more deeply illustrates how rapid urbanization has fundamentally altered our way of life.
Chinese artist He Yu is a contemporary artist working in the fields of painting, video, performance, and poetry. Prior to her career in art, she had a career in business management for more than ten years (majoring in Foreign Languages and Literature in college and business in graduate school). A chance encounter with contemporary art was a kind of miraculous revelation that took her to another direction in life, a path of discovery to find herself and form her true self.
