Everything starts anew in spring. Shenzhen now enjoys high-quality development. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, the 7th Shenzhen International Photography Exhibition presents once again the colorful paintings of light and shadow as we usher in a new era and embark on a new journey.
Shenzhen International Photography Exhibition is co-hosted by China Photographers Association and Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and organized by Shenzhen Photographers Association. The Exhibition has been part of the key work of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles for five years in a row, and is included in Shenzhen’s “14th Five-Year Plan” Guideline. Seven years on, the people-centered exhibition is on the way to achieve the integration of artistic pursuit and audience’s needs, becoming an important platform for the exchange of photography art across China and beyond, as well as a cultural symbol of Shenzhen.
As a national-level international photography art brand exhibition, Shenzhen International Photography Exhibition has a unique and distinct positioning. With “Humanities·Metropolis·Technology” as the main theme, the first six exhibitions have vividly presented “City·Posture”, “City·Temperature”, “City·Breath”, “City·Forerunner”, “City·Vitality” and “City·Integration”. Following the success of previous exhibitions, the 7th Shenzhen International Photography Exhibition will implement new development concepts with a more forward-looking vision, a bigger picture in mind, a richer connotation and more varied forms, and focus on building a new development pattern while exploring new models, forms of businesses and unlocking new growth drivers.
Themed by “City·Beat”, this exhibition has six major parts: Thematic Exhibition, Exhibition on Collected Works, Exhibition on Cellphone Photography, Photography Enterprise Exhibition, Parallel Exhibition in Branch Venues and Thematic Academic Seminar. OCT art venues are the key area, with multiple other places across city districts and spaces for the exhibition, where fascinating photos exhibits the vibrancy of times.
The thematic exhibition for submissions collects documentary and artistic works from all over the world. A total of nearly 30,000 works were received from 34 provinces across China (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) and 48 countries around the world, and 117 works by photographers from 18 countries stood out as exhibits. A total of over two thousands high-quality photos were selected across all parts of the exhibition for the audience. Be it classic documentary photo or creative one using high-tech; be it a photo depicting bustling cities or quiet corners, the life of someone or the humanistic and natural scenery; be it panoramic, medium, close or close-up shot; be it a masterpiece made by famous artists at home and abroad, or a good photo taken by an amateur using a phone... All photos centers on the theme of “City·Beat” to capture the rhythm of light and darkness of the city from different angles, express unique information and put together a photo of the times. Together, they are like an electrocardiogram showing heartbeats connecting different cities across the globe. The feeling is mutual among the audience as they walk around the exhibits.
The light and shadow capture the wonder of the world, and young and old gather together to enjoy an art feast. Aside from displaying photos under the same theme with different styles and means of expression, the exhibition will also hold a series of activities for academic exchange and to the benefit of people, to interpret the philosophy and visual language of photography, discuss the development and application of photography art, and build a bridge to connect art to the public, making the event more inclusive and participatory. The exhibition furthers cooperation with OCT, Huawei, ZTE and other enterprises, accelerates market-oriented operations, and makes room for photography industry chain extension and value chain improvement.
2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and is a crucial year for realizing the goals and tasks set for the “14th Five-Year Plan”. On a new page in history, Shenzhen International Photography Exhibition, with the concept of “reshaping”, will gather even greater momentum to create a platform for the exchange, mutual learning, and integration between photography art professionals and amateurs at home and abroad, featuring keywords such as “benchmark”, “excellence”, “brand”, “integration”, “online presence”, “technology”, and “youth”. The photography art serves as a way to record the efforts made by the Chinese people in creation and development, and through the lens, stories of Shenzhen, the Greater Bay Area and China were told to disseminate Chinese culture. The exhibition gives full play to the advantages of Shenzhen as a city of innovation and science and technology, keeps up with the beat of high-quality development, adheres to the principles and dares to innovate, and is committed to developing new productive forces in the field of photography art while diversifying the supply of photography art products and cultural services to respond to people’s needs and write a great poem featuring Chinese modernization with photos.
Organizing Committee of Shenzhen International Photography Exhibition
April, 2024
