By Zhangtong Cheng, Junior Project Manager - Art-Science
Photography is a wonderful combination of art and science. As the product of technology, photography captures precious moments in stillness and tells stories in silence to the audience. There is not only scenic beauty between mountains, hill, and lakes but also boundless thoughts and endless imaginations.
The contemporary photography exhibition "Between Mountains, Hills and Lakes" curated by photography historian Ms.Yining He （何伊宁） was successfully opened at Modern Art Base on October 9th, 2020. The Exhibition was initiated by Pro Helvetia, co-hosted by swissnex China and in collaboration with Modern Media Group. After presenting in Shenzhen, the Exhibition’s two-month narration journey in Shanghai started now, which will be followed by Beijing from November 14th, 2020 for another two months.
The opening forum
In the afternoon of October 9th, the opening forum Science, Photography and Future Image: Forum Series I——“Echoes of the Exhibitions” hosted by Ms. Yining He was also held at ZiWU Modern Art Base. Three panelists were invited to the forum: publisher of The Art Newpaper Dan Cao（曹丹）, , and curators Xingru Long（龙星如） and Hantao Shi（施瀚涛） to discuss the interaction between photography technology and people's lives from different perspectives. The forum went in-depth and inspirational with Ms. Yining He's perceptive questions.
During the forum, Mr. Hantao Shi introduced his insights on the mutual effects of photography and technology. He pointed out that, photography, as a technique of observation and storytelling is also used to observe and tell stories about technologies too(摄影是观看和讲述的技术，也是对技术的观看和讲述). While Ms. Xingru Long focused on the photography in machine learning by delivering her research on the influence of the application AI on photography. She combined typical photos with vivid stories as examples to reveal the profound information and sciences beneath photography. Lastly, Ms. Dan Cao shared her explorations on photography under the social context with the development of technology and the transformation of lifestyles. Besides, she also talked about the communication between technology and photography by referring to the current application of hi-tech in photography and the future development of photography.
Felix Moesner, Science Consul and CEO of swissnex China giving a speech at the opening ceremony
Group photo with Ms. Yuxi Lu, Head of Pro Helvetia, Mr. Olivier Zehnder, Consul General of Consulate General of Switzerland in Shanghai, Mr. Felix Moesner, Science Consul and CEO of swissnex China, Ms. Dan Cao, President of Modern Media Group, and the curator Ms. Yining
In the opening ceremony, the Ms. Yuxi Lu, Head of Pro Helvetia, Mr. Olivier Zehnder, Consul General of Consulate General of Switzerland in Shanghai, Mr. Felix Moesner, Science Consul and CEO of swissnex China, Ms. Dan Cao, President of Modern Media Group, and the curator Ms. Yining He gave their speeches to express their best wishes for the exhibition.
Guided tour by the curator Ms. Yining He
After the opening ceremony, Ms. Yining He gave a guided tour of the exhibition, explaining the thoughts behind the photos as well as her understandings and reflections.
Photography books supported by Pro Helvetia
A total of nine groups of works are presented to the audience in the Exhibition among which seven of them are Swiss leading contemporary photographers being active in the international arena. The others are leading Chinese photographers who have participated in the Swiss residency projects. Together, they construct a rich visual and narrative level, leading the viewers through the meticulous study of Switzerland and leaving endless imagination.
During the Exhibition period, two artist webinars, a closing forumand curator guided tours will be held around the theme of "Science, Photography and Future Image" to further discuss the relationship between science and photography under the influence of artificial intelligence and virtual reality, as well as the issues of interweaving the production and display of current images with the media ecology.
For more details of the exhibition, you are welcome to visit the exhibition during the exhibition period and join the follow-up activities at Modern Art Base.
Address: Building 2, 10 Middle Jianguo Road, Huangpu, Shanghai
Webinars
Science, Photography and Future Image, Artistic Talk Series I
Speaker: Catherine Leutenegger
2020.10.23, 16:30-18:00
Science, Photography and Future Image, Artistic Talk Series II
Speaker: Matthieu Gafsou
2020.10.31, 16:30-18:00
Closing Forum
Science, Photography and Future Image: Forum Series II
“The Discourse of Practices”
2020.11.7, 15:30-17:00
Panelists: Feng Junyuan, Li Zhaohui, SLIME ENGINE
Moderator: He Yining
Curator’s Guided Tour
2020.11.8, 17:00 – 17:30
Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-20:00 (closed on Mondays and public holidays)
Artists
Thomas Brasey, Olga Cafiero, Chen Haishu, Matthieu Gafsou, Catherine Leutenegger, Christoph Oeschger, Virginie Rebetez, Stephane Winter, Zhu Lanqing
Initiator: Pro Helvetia Shanghai, Swiss Arts Council
Curator: He Yining
Hosts: Design Society, Shenzhen;
Modern Art Base, Shanghai;
Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, Beijing
Duration: Aug.5-Sept.8, 2020, Shenzhen;
Oct.6-Nov.8, 2020, Shanghai;
Nov.14, 2020-Jan.9, 2021, Beijing
Shenzhen | Opening support: Consulate General of Switzerland in Guangzhou;
Shenzhen | Partners: Painting Hero, Jiazazhi Press, PermaJet
Shanghai | Co-host: swissnex China