Aug 31 - Sept 29 | Nina K Ekman x Catherine Ruane : Guardians of the Desert
LAND/MIND/SCAPES
Curated by Yiwei Lu and assistant curator Jason Chengtian Yu
Casa Regis Center for Culture and Contemporary Art is thrilled to announce the opening of "Land/Mind/Scape," a group photography exhibition featuring the works of seven exceptional Chinese photography artists: Ye Wenlong, Huang Jianxiong, Wang Xin, Yan Jingsong, Ye Tingting, Zhang Qingxiu, and Zheng Xiaolin. This exhibition is proudly supported by Yiwei Gallery in Los Angeles, and curated by Yiwei Lu and assistant curator Jason Chengtian Yu.
In a time where the world has become more divided due to the ongoing pandemic, this exhibition serves as a reminder that art has the power to bring people together. Despite living in different parts of the globe (China, Italy, and the U.S.), the curators, artists, and staff members of Casa Regis, have worked tirelessly together for six months to bring contemporary Chinese photography into a 500-year-old pre-monastery space. This remarkable collaboration is a testament to the idea that art can fill gaps and heal divisions, and art is a universal language that transcends borders and cultures.
Through the lens of contemporary Chinese photographers, visitors are invited to explore themes such as identity, tradition, and modernity. The stunning photographs on display offer a window into the rich and complex culture of China, while also highlighting the shared experiences and emotions that connect us all as human beings. But the power of this exhibition goes beyond the art on display. It is a reminder that, even in times of great uncertainty and division, we have the capacity to come together and create something beautiful. Through collaboration and creativity, we can build bridges between cultures and communities, and work towards a more connected and inclusive world.
"Land/Mind/Scape" is a truly captivating collection of contemporary Chinese photography, showcasing the unique perspectives of seven exceptional artists who interpret the world around them through their lenses. The exhibition presents a rich variety of styles and techniques that evoke a profound sense of tranquil contemplation and introspection, transporting visitors to a realm of peaceful stillness and serene calmness. Each photographer's work exudes a sense of quiet beauty, utilizing subtle and understated compositions to convey a profound sense of emotion and contemplation. Drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese aesthetics and philosophy, the artists have skillfully incorporated contemporary techniques and approaches to their work, creating a truly unique and inspiring collection.
Within the exhibition, some of the artists delve into the ancient and revered concept of Shan Shui (山水), which speaks to the harmonious interplay between humanity and nature. Through their lenses, these artists present a stunning visual interpretation of this timeless concept, inviting viewers to become fully immersed in the tranquil and awe-inspiring majesty of the natural world. Meanwhile, other artists within the collection boldly push the boundaries of traditional photography, fearlessly experimenting with a range of materials, formats, and techniques to create truly innovative and strikingly original works of art. The outcome is a dynamic and exhilarating collection that showcases the limitless potential of the photographic medium to inspire and captivate audiences in exciting new ways.
Exhibition Duration: March 19 - June 11, 2023
Opening Hours: Sundays 3-6 pm, By Appointments
Casa Regis - Center for Culture and Contemporary Art
About Casa Regis
Situated in an historic building from the 1600's in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, Casa Regis has the mission of revealing the special qualities of the Piedmont hill towns and connecting them with the rest of Italy and international community through the presence and exchange of contemporary artists.
Ye Wenlong
Born in Zhejiang Province in 1979, Ye is an independent photographer in China. He started teaching himself photography while in high school, and is now a member of the Chinese Fine Art Photography Association. Working with a digital medium format camera, Ye focuses on Eastern style landscape photography. He has exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, and has won the Chinese Academy of Photography award, the highest award in the Chinese fine art photography field.
Ye’s photography is a modern interpretation of traditional Chinese “Shanshui” landscape paintings. Shanshui translates directly to “the paintings of mountain and water,” and symbolize a peaceful life. A good Shanshui painting contains what is referred to as “Yi Jing,” “Yi” being the artist’s personal feelings and aesthetics, and “Jing” being the landscape itself. Utilizing a flat perspective and the technique of Liu Bai (negative space), Ye is able to find his “Yi” in the landscape and convey the same consistent Eastern-style of black and white pictorial quality in his landscape photography, no matter the location.
Zheng Xiaolin
Zheng Xiaolin is a highly creative and passionate photographer who is dedicated to expressing the beauty of life and the beauty of landscape through his works. His works mainly focus on animals and landscapes. His works have delicate textures and unique colors, and are well loved by people. His works have been featured in several media and magazines, and he has participated in several art exhibitions. He has traveled to Africa more than 10 times to photograph wildlife, and has also ventured into Antarctica and the Arctic for creative photography. He believes that photography is a way to express emotions and thoughts, and records every moment through the lens, so that people can feel the fixation of landscape and the vitality of life. The environment can be a kind of scene, but he prefers to try to achieve the "mood" of expression through the rendering of the environment. His works are his truest expression and record of the world, and his most profound pursuit and exploration of art.
Zhang Qingxiu
Originally an art teacher, Qingxiu Zhang switched to the Tiantai newspaper as an art editor in 1997 and started her photography career in 1999. Zhang made the connection to Art when she mastered the basic operations of the camera, relying on her profound art skills, her photography level improved rapidly. Not long after, she began to win awards in photography competitions. After 2000, her photography works began to be selected for the Zhejiang Provincial Photography Art Exhibition, which made her change her view on photography and gradually upgrade it from a keen interest to her career. Her dream is to use the camera to discover, capture, dig and present the true beauty of her hometown, Taizhou, so that more people can be attracted to the landscapes. [add more?]
Wang Xin
Wang Xin started to enjoy photography in 2007. The original intention of his photography is to record the road he had walked, the landscape he had seen, the people and things he had experienced, and share with the people around him. Xin specializes in creative photography and minimalist photography. His work "The Story of Cups" won the bronze prize in the commercial category of the 19th Photo Art Exhibition of Zhejiang Province in 2022, "Enjoying Solitude" won the excellent prize in the artistic category of the 19th Photo Art Exhibition of Zhejiang Province in 2022, and "The Daily Life of Eggs" won the gold prize in the commercial creative category of the 7th Photo Art Exhibition of Taizhou City.
Ye Tingting
Over the years, Ye uses her work to tie her personal experience to the collective memory of social changes, reconfirming and consolidating her own identity while sorting out her relationship with the surroundings. Her Work mostly focuses on the family dynamic, and the connection between women and the society. Her media include photography, video, and handmade books.
Ye believes the most attractive part about people’s daily routine is how it gradually turns into a kind of social culture as time goes by. By showing how people live in Hutong (alley ways in Beijing), such as hang drying clothes and bedding, Ye want to showcase people’s care for their daily routine and study the hidden information of the era and society. She used a flower encyclopedia as a reference and turned it into a Hutong flower guide.
Yan Jinsong
Yan Jinsong was introduced to photography in college in 1992 where he majored in art education. He then became a middle school art teacher in 1995, and opened a photography studio to take portraits for people in his leisure time. Yan spent a lot of time in developing and printing black and white film photographs at his dark room, and really honed his craft in photography. He now divides his time between doing interior design projects, which support his life, and photography, which is where his real passion lies. Yan is known for his large horizontal scrolls of photographs taken in Tibetan area. They can be as long as 10 meters long, and yet all the details are very crisp. Yan has won more than two dozen photography awards in China, and has exhibited worldwide. His work has also been widely collected by international and Chinese institutions.
Huang Jianxiong
When Huang reached 60, he resolutely put down all the work at hand and entered the road of humanities and landscape photography. This comes from the imprint of his childhood, following my old father who went around with his camera to capture the scenery, hearing and witnessing the light and shadows. Seeing what his father had recorded with his camera influenced Huang's young mind and created a bond with photography, seeking light and shadows.