Call for Papers

By yaohong | Published: March 29, 2010

Helping to pass the word along for a call for papers for the upcoming CAA conference in New York, Feb 2011. Art-related academia is way beyond my capabilities but I’m sure some of you readers may find it interesting. Read on for more information.

Transcultural Visuality: Photography in East-Asia

The session will focus on photography, as an image making procedure, which reached East-Asia close to the time of the first experimentations and its commencement in Europe, mid 19th c..

This was a unique opportunity to take part in the shaping of the field by artists across East-Asia who took interest in the newly introduced medium. In doing so, many of these practitioners added to the developing language of photography, contributing from their respective aesthetic vocabulary, drawing from particular visual cultures, adding to technical and conceptual developments of the field. Photography, therefore, developed as a truly transcultural medium, with contributions from different cultures that conglomerated and shaped the field.

Papers may explore any issues regarding photography as a transcultural medium, created between East-Asia and the West, from its early days to the present; discussions of innovative projects in Japan, Korea and China referring to hybrid traditions of representation, narratives, localities, formats, monochrome/ colour aesthetics or compositional strategies, are of great interest.
 
Please send proposals (250 words) to:
Ayelet Zohar, Stanford University transcultural.visuality[at]gmail.com
By May 3rd, 2010.

Posted in Asia | Leave a comment

Passing China

By yaohong | Published: March 22, 2010

Liu_Zheng_Three_Elderly_Entertainers_Beijing.jpg
TOP, Three Elderly Entertainers, Beijing
© Liu Zheng, 1995

Talk about East meeting West. Sanatorium, a gallery in Turkey, is showing an exhibition on Chinese contemporary photographers, Passing China, from March 25 to April 24. This is in collaboration with Eli Klein Gallery from New York. A look at the list of artists reveal some well-travelled photographers from China – Chen Qiang, Lian Dongya, Li Wei, Liu Bolin, Maleonn, Miao Xiaochun, Pan Yue, Wang Yiqiong, Zuoxiao Zuzhou.

I think that the cross-border showing of photography, especially outside the main art centers can be quite a good primer for a region’s works. I have lost count of the number of people asking me for advice on photography coming from Asia (despite this blog’s moniker, I’m not really an expert). However, the interesting bit comes in when, after viewing the more well-known works, one finds the few gems in the rough. It can be an exhilarating experience.

Visit the gallery’s official website to read more. C-Arts Magazine has a review of the exhibition held in New York here.

Posted in Art, Asia, China, Exhibitions | Leave a comment

Dennis Rito

By yaohong | Published: March 15, 2010

Dennis Rito was kind enough to show me around Manila when I was there last year. His new series, UNLIMITXT, strikes a deep chord with me. Like the many netizens out there, my existence is intricately linked to my virtual self, usually kept on life support when I’m on the move through my mobile phone.

dennisrito_01.jpg

dennisrito_02.jpg

dennisrito_03.jpg
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“UNLIMITXT“)
© Dennis Rito, 2010

In this series, Rito seeks to examine the internal world of text-messaging users. He is compelled to explore how technology affects our society and faced with more virtual than face-to-face conversations, how do we, as a society progress ahead?

I really liked these images, especially the eerie glow that is left one the subjects’ faces. It’s an allusion to how absorbed we have become with our handheld devices. Variety in the subjects also break the possible monotony that such a series is prone to.

For more of Dennis’ works, visit his online portfolio. Incidentally, he writes the Philippine Photography Scene.

Posted in Contemporary, Documentary, Philippines | 1 Comment

Break

By yaohong | Published: February 21, 2010

Taking a break from all the blogging and juggling of my duo-life. Will be back for reservist training for the next three weeks. A good time to take my mind off my day job, the chaos that usually ensue and feeling guilty about not posting here. Hopefully, I will get some reading/thinking done at night without the distractions of the Internet. I will be back with some interesting photographers to feature. Catch y’all on the flip side.

Posted in Personal | 2 Comments

Lei Jianyou

By yaohong | Published: February 7, 2010

lei_02.jpg

lei_06.jpg

lei_10.jpg
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“??/Looking Afar“)
© Lei Jianyou

Lei is a young photographer from Zhejiang, China. A self-taught photographer with a short history behind him, his works carry a certain heaviness. He infuses elements of melancholy romanticism in his pictures of abandoned objects, often resulting in works that are both beautiful and painful to look at.

This series was produced during a winter period when he traveled to the north of China. The coldness of the weather, coupled with longing for a lost love and the warmth of friends resulted in this set of images. He projected his feelings onto a dejected landscape, as a form of mediation between a conflicted inner landscape and the serene world outside.

For more of his works, visit his portfolio here (in Chinese only, links are on the right of the images).

Posted in China, Contemporary | 5 Comments

Joji Shimamoto

By yaohong | Published: February 1, 2010

joji_01.jpg

joji_02.jpg

joji_03.jpg
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“9#, Sk8 and Toy-kyo“)
© Joji Shinamoto

Street culture graces the portfolio of Japanese photographer, Joji Shimamoto, as he traverses between New York City and Tokyo. Born and raised in Japan, he has since relocated to the Big Apple as a freelance photographer. Recently featured in Japan’s Photographica magazine and studio voice, this young photographer’s future looks bright.

Visit his portfolio to see more. A collection is also available here.

Posted in Documentary, Japan | 2 Comments

Gloria Chung

By yaohong | Published: January 25, 2010

gloriachung_pola01.jpg

gloriachung_pola06.jpg

gloriachung_pola14.jpg
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“November“)
© Gloria Chung

I know it’s only the end of January but Gloria Chung’s November series made me think a little about how time flies. Turn one round on the spot you’re standing on and you would be saying goodbye to 2010 already.

This year has been pretty packed and awesome so far (hence the lack of posts). I’m sad to see this month almost over. Sometimes, life moves too quickly for us to truly enjoy every single moment.

Gloria is currently based in NYC and shoots freelance. Hop over to her website to see her other works.

Posted in Contemporary, Korea | Leave a comment

Stephen JB Kelly

By yaohong | Published: January 13, 2010

QILIHE_Kelly02.jpg

QILIHE_Kelly07.jpg

QILIHE_Kelly14.jpg
TOP TO BOTTOM, from (“Qi Lihe“)
© Stephen Kelly, 2009

Stephen JB Kelly documented the lives of ethnic Muslim minorities living in Lanzhou, a city in China’s north west. The government’s treatment of the Uighurs have dominated the news in recent months. Stephen’s series comes at a right time, shedding light onto a world previously ignored by the outside world.

From his statement:

Qi Lihe is home to thousands of Muslim migrant families who have left their homeland within the Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture and arrived into the city searching for job opportunities and ultimately, a better life. For hundreds of years the Hui and Dongxiang Muslim minorities have farmed the arid land surrounding their ancestral villages. In recent years though, desertification has forced this once workable landscape to begin a dramatic change, impelling many modern day farmers and their families to seek a better existence in Lanzhou.

The work is a documentation of culture, modernization, oppression and environmental destruction all rolled into one. This is a story that has been repeated too many times in our short history. Once again, we’re reminded of the things we leave behind in the name of progress.

Visit his online portfolio to see the rest of the series.

Posted in Asia, China, Documentary | 4 Comments

Simple Style

By yaohong | Published: January 6, 2010

z5.jpg
TOP, © Zephyrance Lou

Simple Style is an indie blog that aims to encourage and inspire the creative class. Edited by Qing Zhou and Weimar Yao from Shanghai and Guangdong respectively, it’s an excellent launchpad into the design/art/photography/music world found in China and beyond. Well, the only drawback is that it’s written in mandarin but good work translates all languages! I think I may just start collaborating with them to port some of the amazing finds over here.

Oh and they wrote an excellent post about me recently and I’m returning the favor. (A beautifully written introduction, if I may add.) :)

Posted in Asia | 2 Comments

Art Incubator

By yaohong | Published: January 4, 2010

The Art Incubator Residency Program is a professional development opportunity for Singaporean artists below 35. It will offer two local residencies and one overseas residency in 2010. Residents will be given a studio space, assigned a mentor and develop new work. They will pay you a stipend of S$1000 for sustenance and S$3000 for materials and production. It’s a community-based project that will emphasize interaction with other artists, curators and writers. If you’re eligible, please apply here.

Posted in Art, Singapore | Leave a comment

  • Categories

  • Archives