Chinese Photobook Day

7-11, Oct 2021

1-6pm

Migrant Bird Space

Koppenplatz 5, 10115 Berlin

From "Third Front Movement" to urbanisation process, from "green-skinned train" (old-style slow train in China) to internet economy, from the arranged marriage to female consciousness...Alongside China's rapid development and changes, Chinese photographers have been eagerly watching this huge and complex country through their lens. With their wonderful photographs, they have shown us a keen observation of Chinese society at both macro and micro levels. No longer limited by the tradition of documentary photography, the younger generation of artists brought more diversified approaches and more unique perspectives. Multimedia, private photography, staged performance, appropriation of existing images, archives, virtual reality…these creative approaches, which have not been used in traditional photography, have increasingly appeared in the works of emerging Chinese photographers today. Their work directly reflects Chinese youth groups' unique culture, such as concerns about personal identity, globalisation, decolonisation, gender equality, cyberspace, and environmental issues. Yet they do so in vastly different ways. While artists like Luo Yang document the inner life of the new generation, other photographers such as Gulu and Lin Zhipeng aka. 223 explore the playful and sexually liberal attitude emerging amongst the youth.

With the global upsurge of photobooks, Chinese photographers are becoming more and more active in the field of publication. To them, Photobooks are not just a way to represent their photographs but also a medium with its own form of expression. The exquisite and unique book design turns the books into hand-held exhibitions. For Chinese Photobook Day, we have selected photobooks published by Chinese publishing houses or self-published. The event consists of three sections. In each section, we will focus on one specific theme and closely look at the photobooks related to the theme. 

Section I: Disappearing Hometown

Photobooks to introduce: Reborn, Summer Time 3, 404 Not Found, German Balcony, 24 Mails from the Railway, No Line on the Horizon, Winter Land

Section II: The Relationship

Photobooks to introduce: Judy Zhu, Girl. CN, Experimental Relationship, The Bliss of Conformity, Five Photographers

Section III: Social Landscape

Photobooks to introduce: The Yellow River, White Night, 1974, Until Death Do Us Part, Wow Taobao, History of Life

Chinese Photo Book Day.pdf

CHINESE PHOTO BOOK DAY 2021.pdf