In the case of Guo Yingguang, one of her key influences was Sophie Calle. Let’s say the Chinese photographers that have attracted attention and that gained success outside China are often those artists who have questions of identity, those who made works about youth culture, sexual identity, gender politics and broader social issues through a kind of performative approach. What are the chief characteristics of young Chinese photographers?Īs there are 1.5 billion Chinese people it would be very foolish to generalize. I don’t speak Chinese, I haven’t been to many parts of China so my interest in it is similar to my interest in Japanese photography, which as an outsider with interest and curiosity, who is very aware of his limits in language and in cultural context. But I really regard myself as knowing very little. Then in Paris you have people who have a strong connection and interest in photography in China. It is something very interesting and exciting to see outside of the sort of Western focussed gallery system. What you could say is that the appetite for photography in China is huge, the interest in huge, the success of the Photofair confirms that in its public appeal. Also since then I went to the Photofair in Shanghai, and the really incredible thing is the audience, there were about 10.000 people a day for three or four days. ![]() I saw the archive of Luo Bonian there, from which I was able to include works in an exhibition at Tate. I was on the jury of their prize a few years ago with Thomas Ruff and Mika Ninagawa - a really amazing jury, it was a very meaningful experience to be in Beijing with them, and with the people they’ve managed to bring to China and the level of work they put forward in both their exhibition and publishing programmes. The last time I was in Japan I also spent time with Rong Rong and Inri in Kyoto, and I really appreciate what they do the Three Shadows Photography Award, for example, and it’s a very important contact for me. ![]() Since then I’ve been always in touch with him, and always followed what he does, collecting the books he publishes. I was invited by Rong Rong to go to the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre in Beijing. I also visited China itself a few years ago for the first time. This is something that is very fluid and moves, you easily find great Chinese books in Tokyo, in London or in Paris. Like almost all of my research, I feel it all comes, in one way or another from the photobook world. Also when I worked at Tate I worked on the acquisition of Martin Parr’s book collection which included a big collection of Chinese photobooks, both historic and contemporary. Like many people outside of China, the first awareness was through publishing, seeing photobooks by Chinese artists. How did you come to know the photographic landscape in China? On this occasion, Simon Baker kindly answered our questions. True to their commitment to showcase international emerging talents, the MEP has presented in 2019 “The Bliss of Conformity”, a series by the Chinese artist Guo Yingguang combining photography, video, installation and book, which explores arranged marriages in China and the emotionally distant coexistence between arranged couples from both abstract and concrete viewpoints. The upper levels of the MEP (+2 and +3) will host mid or large-scale exhibitions presenting the work of established artists, while the Studio, on level +1 (formerly the Salle Henault de Cantobre) is imagined as a gallery with a more regularly rotating programme (presenting a new exhibition every six weeks), offering emerging artists a solo show in an institutional setting for the first time. He has worked exhibitions such as Don McCullin (2019) “Shape of Light” (2018) « Performing for the camera » (2016), « Nick Waplington / Alexander McQueen: Working Progress » (2015), « Conflict, Time, Photography » (2014), « William Klein + Daido Moriyama » (2012), « Taryn Simon, A living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters » (2011).įor the future artistic programme, from 2019 onwards, the MEP is designating two distinct areas for their exhibitions. ![]() At Tate he was responsible for the permanent collection, developing an acquisition strategy, and organising exhibitions. Prior to becoming Tate's first curator of photography, he was Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Nottingham, where he taught history of photography, surrealism and contemporary art. Simon Baker was the previous curator of Photography and International Art at Tate. Since May 2018, the British Dr Simon Baker has been appointed as the new Director of La Maison européenne de la photographie (MEP) in Paris.
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