主题
中文：陌生的亚洲：第二届北京国际摄影双年展(2015)
英文：UnfamiliarAsia：The Second Beijing Photo Biennial(2015)
主办：中央美术学院美术馆
协办：北京798文化创意产业投资股份有限公司
时间：2015年10月15日（周四）至11月29日（周日）
开幕式：2015年10月15日（周四）下午5点
地点：中央美术学院美术馆、798艺术中心、Cipa画廊
总顾问：范迪安
艺术总监：王璜生
策展团队：长谷川佑子、尼莉·戈伦、秦伟、蔡萌、段君
学术研讨主持：王春辰
宗旨
“北京国际摄影双年展”作为中央美院美术馆的品牌展览之一，旨在观察当代国际摄影实践与交流，审视摄影作为一种介入、应用和不断自我更新的媒介，是如何成为一个有效载体，如何不断参与到当代文化的叙事与艺术新秩序及新格局的建构之中；旨在探讨并鼓励摄影语言的探索与观念深入和观念拓展。它秉持未来性的眼光和方式以期发现、扶持富有天赋和潜质的中国青年摄影师，推广和提升中国当代摄影在国际艺术界的影响力和认知度，引进西方经典和当下国际前沿的摄影资源，促进国际间的交流，进而推动中国当代摄影发展。
上届回顾
由中央美术学院美术馆发起、策划并打造的“灵光与后灵光：首届北京国际摄影双年展”已于2013年10—11月间成功举办。“首届北京国际摄影双年展”一经问世，已成为国内摄影专业界公认并首屈一指的摄影展览项目。2014年上半年，其“主题展”、“收藏展”板块分别在在深圳何香凝美术馆、武汉美术馆巡回展出。特别是在“主题展：2009年以来的中国新摄影”基础上深化、重构的“中国当代摄影2009—2014”于2014年9月—10月，在上海民生现代美术馆展出，获得了海内外专业领域的极大关注和广泛好评（也在积极筹划赴美国、丹麦、日本、捷克、西班牙等国的巡回展出）。
“第二届北京国际摄影双年展”筹备工作已于2015年2月正式启动。目前，展览已进入紧锣密鼓的策划阶段。该展将于2015年10月15日至11月29日在中央美术学院美术馆、798艺术区和草场地艺术区展出。作为目前国内高水准的国际性摄影展览活动，我们希望本届展览持续保持上届展览的品质与形象，并在展览的地点与模式、理念与立场等方面进行新尝试。与上届展览一样，我们也将安排国内外的巡回展览计划，以及配合组织一系列学术和公共教育活动。
主题阐释：陌生的亚洲
在今天的世界上，一切的一切都在发生着改变和不变。其中，经济的全球化不断变化与相互融合，而国际关系之间也在复杂、曲折地发生变化，如欧盟的一体化已经形成，尽管步履蹒跚，遇到众多困难与问题，但一个新的地缘文化体与民族汇流体在形成，这既是历史的必然，也是未来的期待。反观亚洲，似乎它地理辽阔、幅员广大，复杂多样的地缘地貌、人种、种族和民族的多样性，宗教、信仰和精神文化形态的丰富性，远比“欧美”要复杂的多得多，其历史的漫长就是这种复杂性的缘由之一。从历史看，亚洲各国各有历史和渊源，其衍变、融合发生在几千年的历史长河里，有的清晰，有的模糊，清晰则形成相对统一而一体的国家、国族；模糊则导致冲突与裂痕。清晰与模糊既在时间的维度里相互统一、又形成新的延展；今日亚洲的地缘国家又大体都是从历史中走来，但历史的纠结仍没有像欧洲那么清晰化解。文化上，亚洲不像欧洲具有相对的一致性，而相反，具有更多的文明历史源头和文化线索；从文字到语言、从传统到现实、从“他者”的东方想象到“我者”的认同模糊，文化的差异性非常巨大；这种文化的差异又因为宗教信仰的不同，更加多种多样，仿佛一个丰富但却含糊不清的亚洲图景浮现出来。今日之亚洲，既是各个亚洲国家理解下的“各自亚洲”，也可以是“同一个亚洲”。从当代艺术和摄影的视角出发，当我们将关注和参照的目光从熟悉的“西方”移回亚洲时发现：其实我们对自己身处的亚洲十分陌生（自然，也充满着好奇和新鲜感）。今天部分亚洲国家之间发生的矛盾和冲突，不恰恰源自互相的不了解、不认同，以及彼此间的陌生吗？
现实的政治格局也使得亚洲的面貌不是一个简洁、清晰的图像。近几十年来，几次大的战争冲突皆发生在亚洲，如朝鲜战争、越南战争、中东战争、两伊战争、海湾及伊拉克战争等等，近来发生在叙利亚的极端组织冲突愈加让这一区域的和平建设复杂化。另一方面，与欧洲的基督教为信仰主体的构成显著不同，亚洲作为犹太教、基督教、伊斯兰教、佛教、印度教，以及道教、萨满等多种信仰发源地，而近代出现的亚洲特色马克思主义理论及实践，在中国、越南、朝鲜、缅甸等国的发展又各自不同。这种地缘政治的丰富性或复杂状态，使亚洲形成类似欧盟这种政治经济一体化的高度互信共同体形式，仍尚需时日、甚至不可能。因此，纵观今日之亚洲，在多种政治、宗教与精神文化形态丰富性并存的境况下，互相理解各自的文化心理，打破彼此之间的陌生状态，明白无碍的沟通，在当下显得格外地迫切。此外，亚洲的经济在二战后迄今，经历了几次大的飞跃发展，亚洲经济模式也成为世界发展的重要亮点，快速发展的经济也对历史的遗存、文化的传统造成新的冲击和压力，一场以经济现代化为动力的发展愈加改变着亚洲。同时，也愈发需要亚洲国家从各自主体立场上展现出对自己“内部”的丰富观看，进而发出属于亚洲的声音。当我们将视角从熟悉的“西方”转向陌生的亚洲之后发现，这种“观看”一直存在，但由于我们长期关注西方，以至于忽视了这一视觉经验与观看维度，无形中也忽视、回避了这种“声音”。
基于此，本届北京国际摄影双年展即从这样的角度，通过摄影的表征来观看亚洲，进而思考亚洲，重新发现亚洲，以对未来的亚洲抱以美好的愿景。世界文明的源头曾经在这片广袤的地理大陆上发生和流淌，三大宗教也在这里原发与流变，历经历史与现实的激荡运动，一个各自“陌生的亚洲”变得扑朔迷离，它的聚变让自身更加不确定。在这个聚变的过程中，摄影如何作为一个重要的视觉媒介介入其中？其自身又如何在这一过程中和丰富的视觉田野上展开一种更为深入的反思与探索？
未来，去除文化自大或自卑、保守或执持状态，一个丰富和参差多态的和平亚洲，仍需现代人以及未来世代人的共同努力！陌生仿佛是一道谜语，又带来无尽的可能性，它的答案在每天发生改变，也让亚洲的未来成为世界焦点。艺术家需要深度切入亚洲的脉动里，揭诸之、呈现之、忧思之、企盼之。陌生的亚洲将是在深深的关怀与交往中进入新时代以及新亚洲。
Exhibitions
本届展览分主题展、收藏展、摄影书展三大板块。主题展将围绕“陌生的亚洲”这一主题，挑选来自中国、印度、日本、以色列、沙特、伊朗、叙利亚、吉尔吉斯斯坦、孟加拉、土耳其、伊拉克、黎巴嫩、韩国等21个亚洲不同国家和地区的摄影家作品参展。收藏展板块分为两个展览，一个是“关于中国的照片：来自CAFAM的摄影收藏”，该展将在798艺术中心展出；另一个“从图片到照片：来自靳宏伟的中国当代摄影收藏”，此展将在草场地艺术区的Cipa画廊展出。而“摄影书”展将围绕近几年国内外出版的优秀摄影出版物（包括独立出版和手工书）进行集中展示，力图将当代摄影领域在拍摄、编辑、创意、设计、印刷和制作工艺都达到一定水准的摄影出版物现状呈现出来。
学术活动
“陌生的亚洲”系列学术活动分为三个部分。分别是：一、“亚洲的思想”论坛。它将围绕本展览的主题、摄影与亚洲、内部的他者（观看）、亚洲的摄影制度等议题展开；同时，基于参展艺术家作品，邀请国外重要艺术机构策展人和艺术家展开讨论；二、“对话亚洲”系列讲座。我们将邀请国内专门研究亚洲问题的专家学者，围绕当今亚洲文化、政治、经济热点问题进行深入交流和广泛探讨；三、“回望亚洲”系列讲座。届时我们将邀请国内研究亚太历史的专家，就“关于亚洲的历史”这一话题，开展一系列讲座和对话，务使理论研究与实践思考相结合。
特别需要说明的是，本届双年展期间，三影堂摄影艺术中心还将主办“国际摄影策展人论坛”（简称Oracle）。这个论坛是目前国际上最顶级的摄影论坛，每届会议都会有一百多位来自全球的重要美术馆、摄影博物馆、出版社等艺术机构（不包括画廊）的摄影项目策展人、负责人与会（参见附录2）。届时我们会邀请部分与会嘉宾参与“北京国际摄影双年展”的学术活动。在Oracle期间，三影堂还将策划一个完全以摄影原作构成的展览《中国摄影：二十世纪以来》（“Chinese Photography：Twentieth Century and Beyond”）与本届摄影双年展进行互动。
公共教育活动
为了进一步增加展览的公共性，以及与观众的互动，我们将策划“陌生的亚洲－摄影双年展”系列公共活动。该活动共分三个部分：“线上公共活动”、“儿童公共项目”，以及“摄影实验坊”。
- 线上公共活动
线上公共活动在展览之前启动，作为一个众筹项目，可以在众筹网站、豆瓣等社交媒体上发布消息，为展览宣传、预热。展览开幕时，在公共教育区进行呈现。
- 创造“陌生的自我”
利用自拍、美图秀秀等方式身边的故事，从中寻找不一的自己。运用“中央美术学院美术馆”微博、微信的公共账号公开征集征集截稿之后将线上呈现，进行大众评奖，为公众提供奖品（100个奖品，特等奖一名：奖品为相机或手机）
- 面向全国征集“熟悉的亚洲”、“新鲜的亚洲”摄影作品。
例如上传去过的亚洲国家拍过的照片等，使用微博、微信、豆瓣网络媒介，让众多公众参与，寻找别
人拍摄的不同的亚洲。
- 儿童公共项目
艺术衍生品生产（针对儿童类与成人类），以亚洲的地图为基础，做大型户外拼图。组织儿童参与，分别在美术馆下沉广场、央美校园、798艺术区、草场地艺术区、芳草地组织四次大型拼图活动。
- 摄影实验坊
摄影实验坊邀请参展艺术家，与大众进行交流、互动。分享摄影的经验与理念，以及对于亚洲身份的认识。同时，为特殊人群提供实验坊，通过摄影重新认识自己、认识社会，并重新思考生命、思考社会。
1、邀请两位日本艺术家、两位中国艺术家，在“陌生的亚洲”主题下进行分主题工作坊；
2、邀请一位以色列艺术家，在“陌生的亚洲”主题下进行分主题工作坊；
出版物
除展览期间的小册子、折页外，我们将重点出版两本画册。一本是《第二届北京国际摄影双年展展览集》（简称《展览集》）；另一本为《第二届北京国际摄影双年展论文集》（简称《论文集》）。
1、《展览集》，包括策展人专论、艺术家作品和展览期间的论坛、对话等一系列学术活动的综述、纪要。
2、《论文集》主要收录策展人、学术委员会成员，及其他专家学者专门为本次展览撰写的论文。
时间计划
10月15日下午10月15日下午，14:00新闻发布会后，（日）长谷川祐子讲座，17:00开幕式；
10月16日9:30——16:00，“亚洲的思想”论坛。16:00全部与会嘉宾和参展艺术家一起前往三影堂参加“二十世纪以降的中国摄影”展览开幕式；
10月17日9:30——15:00艺术家对话；
此外，在展览的一个半月内，将有3场“对话亚洲”系列讲座；届时，我们会邀请几位亚太问题研究专家围绕“关于亚洲的问题”这个主题进行对话，（具体时间待定）；同时，我们也还会主办“回望亚洲”系列讲座，届时将邀请国内研究亚太历史的专家，或是文化部/外交部的官员，就“关于亚洲的历史”这一话题展开讨论（具体时间待定）。
联系方式
地址：中国北京朝阳区花家地南街8号中央美术学院美术馆
邮编：100102
传真：+86-10-64771699
网站：中央美术学院美术馆官网：http://museum.cafa.com.cn/cn/
微博：中央美术学院美术馆微博：http://weibo.com/cafamuseum
附录1.策展团队简介
Wang Huangsheng
美术学博士，中央美术学院教授，博士生导师，中央美院美术馆馆长，中国美术家协会理事，全国美术馆专业委员会副主任，文化部“国家当代艺术研究中心”专家委员会委员，国务院政府特殊津贴专家。
2004 年获法国政府颁发的“文学与艺术骑士勋章”，2006 年获意大利总统颁发的“骑士勋章”，创办和策划“广州三年展”、“广州摄影双年展”、“CAFAM 双年展”、“CAFAM 未来展”和“北京摄影双年展”。策划“毛泽东时代美术（1942-1976）文献展”和“中国人本·纪实在当代”等大型展览。2000 年至2009 年任广东美术馆馆长。
长谷川佑子（日本）
东京现代艺术博物馆的首席策展人，东京 (MOT)美术大学艺术科学系教授。2008 年以来，长谷川佑子一直作为所罗门古根海姆博物馆 (纽约) 亚洲艺术理事会的成员。她将成为“新感觉中枢的信息圈 – 退出 – 从现代”的策展人，这个展览将于2016年4月在德国ZKM举行。同时，她还是犬岛艺术之家项目（2011年至今）的艺术总监，香港巴塞尔艺术博览会展览“邂逅”的策展人（2012-2014年）。她最近的项目包括：“BUNNY SMACH – 设计触摸世界”（东京现代艺术博物馆，2013年），以及“跨酷东京”（新加坡美术馆，2010-2011年）。她曾被任命为金泽21世纪当代艺术馆的创始艺术总监，并在那里策划了：“马修·巴尼：绘画约束”（2005年）。她曾担任第11届沙迦双年展（2013年）的策展人，第12届威尼斯建筑双年展（2010年）的艺术顾问，第29届圣保罗双年展（2010年）的联合策展人，第50届威尼斯双年展日本馆展览委员会委员（2005年），第4届上海双年展联合策展人（2002年），第7届伊斯坦布尔双年展艺术顾问（2001年）。她的出版著作包括《现代女性：女性艺术家在纽约现代艺术博物馆》（纽约现代艺术博物馆出版，2010年），和《妹岛和世+西泽立卫：SANAA》（费顿出版社，2006年）。
尼莉·戈伦（以色列）
1965年出生于以色列耶路撒冷。1986-1990年，她在耶路撒冷策划了博鳌亚洲论坛摄影部分和艺术设计部分的展览。1991-1994年，获得拉特为夫大学艺术史硕士学位。
2000-2004年，尼莉在比撒列艺术大学等机构中教授艺术理论批评和摄影学。1999年以来，她一直在特拉维夫艺术博物馆策划摄影展。尼莉曾策划超过30个展览，包括“戴维·克拉尔布特：时光依旧”（2012年）、“杰夫·沃尔：可见性”（2013年）等。
撰写和发表有《圈子：浪荡子的回归也是他的离开》、《现实的创伤: 圈子的有效性和意义》、《张贴“波普”》、《失物招领》等论文。
秦伟 (香港)
独立策展人。香港大学专业进修学院“摄影深造文凭”课程统筹及讲师、艺术家。
毕业于法国Mulhouse高级艺术学院，以当代西方的艺术造型风格表现东方传统美学思维，获法国文化部颁发国家高等造型表现硕士文凭。
作品分别在阿根廷、法国、香港、台湾、澳门及中国多个城市展出。
曾担任阿根廷国际摄影节、连州国际摄影节及大理国际摄影节专家评赏委员。2011年，创立国际非政府机构“医护行者”，为发展中国家贫民提供社区医护教育及医疗服务。自2012年，为大理国际摄影节学术委员会委员。在2014的大理国际摄影节及连州国际摄影节策展项目中，先后获中国摄影家协会颁发优秀策展人奖项及提名奖等奖项。
近年策划展览包括:
大理国际摄影节 (2015) 拉丁美洲当代摄影展
《北风》北爱尔兰当代摄影展
香港 60年代摄影
香港国际摄影节 (2014) 《隐性的声音》亚洲女性摄影师展(系列二)
连州国际摄影节 (2013)《鸳鸯》－香港七人「前卫」摄影展
大理国际摄影节 (2013) 《隐性的声音》亚洲女性摄影师展(系列一)
秦伟作品多次获得不同的新闻摄影奖项及人权新闻奖。
王春辰
中央美院美术馆学术部主任，副教授、美术史学博士；2013 年担任第55 届威尼斯双年展中国馆策展人。
出版《1940年以来的艺术》、《艺术的终结之后》等译著；2009年获得“中国当代艺术批评奖”并出版《艺术介入艺术》。另著有《艺术的民主》和《图像的政治》。策划“首届CAFAM双年展：超有机/一个独特研究视角和实验”、“首届CAFA未来展—亚现象：中国青年艺术生态报告”、“观念维新—中国当代摄影简史”、“变位：第55 届威尼斯国际艺术双年展中国馆”、“未来的回归：来自中国的当代艺术”（美国布罗德美术馆）。
蔡萌
出生于1978年，美术学博士。现工作于中央美术学院美术馆学术部 副研究员。
曾供职于中国艺术研究院摄影所，并任广东美术馆摄影项目总监，曾策划“第三届广州国际摄影双年展”（广州，2009年）、“景观·静观：中国当代摄影展”（北京，2009年）、“首届CAFAM未来展—亚现象：中国青年艺术生态报告”（北京，2012年）、“中国当代摄影2009-2014”（上海，2014年）、“第二届CAFAM未来展：创客创客·中国青年艺术的现实表征”（北京，2015年）、“表吾意·状物形：摄影大师哈里·卡拉汉原作展”（北京，2015年）等多个展览。
段君
艺术批评家、策展人，清华大学美术学院艺术史论系博士毕业，曾任白盒子艺术馆（北京）副馆长，现任教于北京理工大学（艺术理论研究部），兼任内蒙古大学艺术学院客座教授。曾参加2007—2014年第1—7届中国美术批评家年会，任2014—2015年中国美术批评家年会组织委员会委员，曾任苏州美术馆第一届颜文樑艺术奖评审委员会委员。曾策划《依于仁，游于艺——21位中国艺术家非代表作品展》、《暗能量：琴嘎》、《十分之一秒：芬·马六明》、《钻木取水：宋永红》等展览。曾合作策划展览《三界外——观念的绝对化》,合作策划学术研讨会《批评理论前沿：神农论坛（二）——中国行为艺术30年》。曾在苏州美术馆、德国法兰克福奥芬巴赫艺术大学等机构举办《中国当代艺术的特质》、《作为艺术的新媒体二十年之现状》、《2000-2010年中国当代绘画的发展》、《中国当代艺术的物质性话语与修辞转向》、《段君对话马六明：20世纪90年代的中国行为艺术》、《中国古代肖像画与相面术》等演讲和对话。
附录2：
国际摄影策展人论坛（ORACLE PHOTO）简介（译自Oracle官方网站）
摄影与任何领域相同,是由一个庞大复杂的信息结构组成。这个信息结构又由各种职业构成,它们有着不同的分工且都相当重要。这些职业不仅仅有艺术家,还要有策展人、学者、历史学家、摄影记者、出版人等等。因此,如何在摄影领域内建立完整健全的信息结构,并时常相互交流,使资源得到合理的分配利用,成了摄影行业里的重要问题。
Oracle会议因此诞生。1983年11月25日至27日在美国亚利桑那州奥拉克尔(Oracle)由Jim Enyeart和Nathan Lyons在亚利桑那大学的创意摄影中心(Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona)举办了第一届会议,有20多人参与。旨在交流摄影行业内的问题,分享彼此的资源。自此,每年摄影领域内的非商业人员,如美术馆及机构代表、独立策展人、独立出版人、学院代表等等都会聚集一堂参与会议。
Oracle大会并不是一个实质性的组织,没有工作人员也没有办公室。会议每年都会由不同地区的机构主办,会议也会随着主办方的改变而游历全世界。1983年至今,Oracle已举办了31届,到过美洲、欧洲、亚洲的15个国家,参会人数也由最初的20人发展到每年可聚集100多人。
会上,参会人会投票选出他们这一年来最关心的话题并进行讨论。话题包括:理论、策展、合作、出版、历史、文献管理、收藏、藏品保护、教育、资金、网络等一系列问题。此外，主办方也会举办一些相关活动,如参观当地美术馆、举办公共讲座等。
Oracle大会结束之后,还有一个后续活动——Post Oracle,主办方可安排更多参观游览当地名胜及美术馆、艺术机构的活动。
Oracle大会通常是两天半至四天,后续活动两至三天。以往会议大多在每年10月中下旬。
Unfamiliar Asia
The Second Beijing Photo Biennial(2015)
Press Release
Theme
Chinese: 陌生的亚洲：第二届北京国际摄影双年展（2015年）
English: Unfamiliar Asia: The Second Beijing Photo Biennial (2015)
Organizer: CAFA Art Museum
Co-Sponsor: Beijing 798 Cultural and Creative Industry Investment Co., Ltd.
Dates: October 15 (Thursday) to November 29, 2015 (Sunday)
Opening: October 15, 2015 (Thursday), 5:00 PM
Venues: CAFA Art Museum, 798 Art Center, CIPA Gallery
General Adviser: FAN Di’an
Art Director: WANG Huangsheng
Curators: Yuko HASEGAWA / Nili GOREN / CHUN Wai / WANG Chunchen / TSAI Meng / DUAN Jun
Symposium Moderator: WANG Chunchen
Objective
As a CAFA Art Museum branded exhibition, the Beijing Photo Biennial reflects on the practice and discussion of contemporary international photography. The program presents the ways in which photography has become an effective vehicle as an artistic, applicable, and self-renewing medium. Furthermore, it has been used to build the new order and structure of art, as well as international interactions and narratives in contemporary culture. The program aims to explore and encourage linguistic and conceptual investigations and intellectual advancements in photography. The Biennial also looks to future visions and methods, identifying and supporting young Chinese photographers with great talent and potential, in order to increase the influence and recognition of Chinese contemporary photography in the international arena. The Biennial also introduces leading Western classic and contemporary photography to facilitate international academic exchange between China and the West and further the development of contemporary Chinese photography.
Previous Edition
Organized and curated by the CAFA Art Museum, “The First Beijing Photo Biennial: Aura and Post-Aura” was held from October to November 2013. After it opened, the Biennial became one of the most recognized and influential photography programs in China. In the first half of 2014, the theme exhibition and the collection exhibition were shown at He Xiangning Art Museum and Wuhan Art Museum. Based on the theme exhibition, “New Chinese Photography Since 2009,” Minsheng Art Museum developed “Chinese Contemporary Photography 2009-2014,” which ran from September to October 2014. These exhibitions were widely appreciated by specialists in this field and the general public. The Biennial has also attracted attention from institutions around the world, and traveling exhibitions are planned for the United States, Denmark, Japan, the Czech Republic, and Spain.
Planning for the Second Beijing Photo Biennial began in February 2015, and the exhibition will be held from October 15 to November 19, 2015 at the CAFA Art Museum, 798 Art District, and Caochangdi Art District. Furthermore, as the most advanced international photography exhibition in China, we expect that this exhibition will maintain the scale, quality, and image of the previous edition, while experimenting with venues, models, ideas, and perspectives. As in the first edition, the exhibition will be accompanied by a series of high-quality academic and public activities.
Theme: Unfamiliar Asia
In today’s world, everything about everything is changing yet not changing. Economic globalization has caused continuous change and fusion, and international relations are also changing in complicated, convoluted ways. Although the European Union has struggled, encountering many difficulties and problems, its formation meant that a new regional cultural entity has arisen and national convergence has taken place. This was a historical inevitability and a hope for the future. The vast continent of Asia has complex geography, racial and ethnic diversity, and a rich array of religions, beliefs, and spiritual cultures; it is so much more complicated than Europe. The length of its history is one of the reasons for this complexity. The development and fusion of the histories and origins of Asian countries took place over the course of several thousand years. Some parts of this history are clear, while some are obscure; the clear elements are the formations of fairly unified nations, while the obscure elements are the causes of conflicts and rifts. Clarity and obscurity come together in the dimension of time and create something new. Most of the countries in Asia today have a basis in history, but historical disputes mean that things cannot be as clearly settled as in Europe. Culturally, Asia does not have Europe’s relative consistency, because Asia has more cultural threads and historical sources of civilizations. From texts to languages, from tradition to reality, from Eastern imaginations of the “other” to vague affirmations of the “self,” the cultural differences are immense. Some of these cultural differences stem from differences in religious belief, which is present in a far greater diversity in Asia, creating a rich yet vague image of the continent. In today’s Asia, each country has its own Asia, as well as the same Asia. Beginning with contemporary art and photography, we are turning our attention from the familiar West to Asia, and we will discover that the Asia in which we live is very unfamiliar (naturally, it is full of curiosities and novelties). Today, don’t the conflicts and contradictions in some parts of Asia arise from mutual misunderstanding, disapproval, and a lack of familiarity?
The current political landscape also prevents us from forming a simple, clear image of Asia. In recent decades, several major wars and conflicts have been fought in Asia, including the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Arab-Israeli War, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the Iraq War. The recent emergence of extremist groups in Syria have made peace in the region even more complex. In addition, Asia is markedly different from a primarily Christian Europe, in that Asia is the birthplace of faiths such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Daoism, and Shamanism. In the modern era, Asia has also developed a distinctive theory and practice of Marxism in China, Vietnam, North Korea, and Burma. The complexity and diversity of regional politics makes it very unlikely, or even completely impossible, that Asia might form a highly integrated economic and political community like the European Union. As a result, when we look at Asia today, with the presence of such political, religious, and spiritual diversity, countries must understand each other’s cultural psychologies and break through unfamiliarity. They need unobstructed communication, which is unusually important at present. Since World War II, the Asian economy has experienced several massive leaps in development, and the Asian economic model has become an important bright spot in world development. Rapid economic development has also created new conflicts and pressures with regard to historical artifacts and cultural traditions. The development of modern economies will change Asia further. Asian countries need to fully observe their own internal issues from various points of view, and then take on a properly Asian voice. When we turn from the familiar West to unfamiliar Asia, we discover that this vision had always existed, but in our long focus on the West, we ignored this visual experience and observational dimension, essentially ignoring or avoiding these voices.
This photography biennial will examine Asia through the lens of photography. After further contemplation of the continent, we will present this newly-discovered Asia and its beautiful prospects for the future. World civilizations originated and flourished on this massive continent and three major world religions originated and spread from Asia. After being tossed between history and the present, an “unfamiliar Asia” becomes complicated and confusing and any kind of fusion makes us even more uncertain. In this process of fusion, how does photography function as an important visual medium? How does photography present deeper reflection and exploration in a rich visual field?
In the future, contemporary and future generations will remove feelings of cultural superiority or inferiority and conservatism or obstinacy to create a rich, distinctive, and peaceful Asia. Unfamiliarity is like a riddle. It has limitless possibilities, because the answer changes every day, and this breadth of possibility will make the future of Asia a focus for the world. Artists need to thoroughly investigate Asia’s depths, uncovering them, presenting them, worrying about them, and hoping for them. With this deep concern and interaction, this unfamiliar Asia will enter a new era and become a new Asia.
Exhibition
This Biennial is divided into a theme exhibition, a collection exhibition and a photo book exhibition. The theme exhibition is “Unfamiliar Asia,” featuring photographers from 21 countries, including China, India, Japan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and South Korea. There are two collections exhibitions. ”Pictures of China: From the CAFAM Photography Collection” will be exhibited at 798 Art Center. “From Pictures to Photographs: The Contemporary Photography Collection of Jin Hongwei” will be exhibited at CIPA Gallery in the Caochangdi Art District. The photo book exhibition will feature outstanding photo books from around the world (including independent publications and handmade books). The show attempts to present photography publications that have reached a certain standard in terms of photography, editing, innovation, design, printing, and production techniques in contemporary photography.
Academic Activities
There are three parts to the “Unfamiliar Asia” series of academic activities. The Asian Thought Forum will center on the exhibition theme, photography and Asia, internal others (ways of seeing), and the Asian photography system. A group of important foreign museum curators and artists will engage in a discussion based on the works in the exhibition. For the Conversations on Asia lecture series, we will invite Chinese scholars and experts on Asian issues to engage in broad explorations and deep discussions of current Asian cultural, political, and economic topics. The Looking Back on Asia series will feature Chinese experts on the history of the Asia-Pacific region. They will give talks and engage in discussions on the topic of Asian history, combining theoretical research and practical investigation.
During the Second Beijing Photo Biennial, the CAFA Art Museum and Three Shadows Photography Art Centre will jointly organize an international forum entitled “Oracle Photo: International Photo Curators.” This popular event will draw curators and managers from more than one hundred art museums, photography museums, publishing houses, and other art institutions. Last year, the CAFA Art Museum was named the host of the Oracle Forum. During the Second Biennial, some VIPs be invited to participate in the academic events related to exhibition. During Oracle, Three Shadows will host an exhibition of original photography entitled “Photography after the End of the Twentieth Century,” which will interact with the exhibitions in the Biennial.
Public Events
In order to increase public participation in the Biennial and interact more with viewers, the organizers have planned a series of public events related to “Unfamiliar Asia.” These events can be divided into three categories: online events, children’s programs, and photography laboratories.
- Online Events
The online events will launch before the exhibition opens. As a crowd-sourcing program, participants can send messages on crowd-sourcing sites, Douban, and other social media platforms to promote the exhibitions. At the exhibition opening, the results will be presented in the public education section.
- Creating an “Unfamiliar Self”
Using selfies and airbrushing software, people tell their stories and seek out different selves. Using the CAFA Art Museum microblog and WeChat platforms, we will conduct an open call for images and present the images online. The general public can then vote on the images and the winners will receive prizes. (There are 100 prizes, with a special first prize of a camera or mobile phone.)
- Collecting photographs focusing on “Familiar Asia” and “Fresh Asia.”
For example, the general public can upload pictures taken in countries across Asia using online media such as microblogs, WeChat, and Douban, or seek out different aspects of Asia photographed by other people.
- Children’s Programs
Based on the map of Asia, art objects (for children and adults) will be used to create large outdoor collages. Children are welcome to participate in four large collages located in the museum’s sunken courtyard and the CAFA campus, the 798 Art District, the Caochangdi Art District, and Fangcaodi.
III. Photography Laboratory
Artists showing in the exhibition will be invited to participate in the photography laboratory. The artists will interact with the general public, sharing their ideas and experiences of photography and their understandings of Asian identity. A photography laboratory will also be provided for a special group, who will come to re-understand themselves and society through photography.
- Two Japanese artists and two Chinese artists will conduct a workshop on the theme “Unfamiliar Asia.”
- An Israeli artist will conduct a workshop on the theme “Unfamiliar Asia.”
Publications
In addition to a brochure and a leaflet, we plan to publish two books: The Second Beijing Photo Biennial Catalog and The Papers of the Second Beijing Photo Biennial.
- The Second Beijing Photo Biennial Catalog will present curators’ essays, artists’ works, and summaries of the forums, dialogues, and academic activities.
- The Papers of the Second Beijing Photo Biennial will feature the papers presented during the seminars.
Schedule
October 15, 14:00- After the press conference, Yuko HASEGAWA will give a talk.
October 15, 17:00- Opening
October 16, 9:30-16:00- Asian Thought Forum
October 16, 16:00- All VIPs and participating artists will travel to Three Shadows for the opening of “Photography after the End of the Twentieth Century.”
October 17, 9:30-15:00- Artist dialogues
In addition, during the first two weeks of the exhibition, CAFA Art Museum will host three editions of the “Conversations on Asia” lecture series. The organizers will invite several experts on Asia to discuss “On Asian Issues” (Schedule TBA). We will also host the “Looking Back on Asia” lecture series, which will feature Chinese experts on the history of the Asia-Pacific region or officials from the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discussing Asian history (Schedule TBA).
Contact Information
E-mail: photobiennial@163.com
Address: CAFA Art Museum
No. 8 Huajiadi South Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Zip: 100102
Fax: +86-1064771699
Website: http://www.cafamuseum.org
Microblog: http://weibo.com/cafamuseum
Appendix 1. Curatorial Team
WANG Huangsheng (China)
Wang Huangsheng is a doctor of art history, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, a doctoral adviser, director of the CAFA Art Museum, a council member of the China Artists Association, the deputy director of the Committee of Art Museums in China, and a member of the National Contemporary Art Research Centre Expert Committee at the Ministry of Culture. Wang is an art expert who receives a special allowance from the State Council.
In 2004, he received the Medal for Art and Literature given by the French government. In 2006, he received the Chivalric Honor awarded by the President of Italy. In 2013, he received the Best Beijing Educator Award from the Beijing city government. He has founded and organized the Guangzhou Triennial, the Guangzhou Photo Biennale, the CAFAM Biennale, the CAFAM·Future Exhibition, and the Beijing Photo Biennial. He has curated exhibitions such as “A Documentary Exhibition of the Art of Mao Zedong’s Era (1942-1976)” and “Humanism in China: A Contemporary Record of Photography.” He was the director of the Guangdong Museum of Art from 2000 to 2009.
Yuko HASEGAWA (Japan)
Yuko Hasegawa is Chief Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT) and Professor of the Department of Art Science, Tama Art University in Tokyo. Since 2008, Yuko has been a member of the Asian Art Council at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York). She will be a curator for “New Sensorium in Infosphere -Exit from Failture of Modernism” to be held at ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, Germany in April, 2016. She is Artistic Director of Inujima Art House Project (2011-present) and Curator for Art Basel in Hong Kong Encounters (2012-2014). Her recent projects include “BUNNY SMACH – design to touch the world” (2013) at Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, and “Trans Cool Tokyo” (2010-2011) at Singapore Art Museum. At the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa where she was appointed as Founding Artistic Director, she curated “Matthew Barney: Drawing Restraint” (2005). She was Curator of 11th Sharjah Biennial (2013), Artistic Advisor of 12th Venice Architectural Biennale (2010), Co-Curator of 29th São Paulo Biennial (2010), Commissioner of Japanese Pavilion of 50th Venice Biennale (2003), Co-Curator of the 4th Shanghai Biennale (2002) and Artistic Director of the 7th International Istanbul Biennial (2001). Her publications include ‘Modern Women: Women Artists at the Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Modern Art, 2010, pp334-351 and ‘Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa: SANAA,’ Phaidon Press, 2006.
Nili GOREN (Israel)
Nili Goren was born in 1965 in Jerusalem, Israel. From 1986-1990, she undertook a BFA at the photography department of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, and from 1991-1994 Nili gained an MFA in Art History at Tel Aviv University.
Nili taught critical theory in art and photography in various institutions including Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, from 2000-2004, and since 1999 she has been the Curator of Photography at Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Nili has curated over 30 exhibitions, including: David Claerbout: “the time that remains” (2012); Jeff Wall: “Visibility” (2013); and many more.
Selected essays written and published by Nili Goren:
Nili Goren, “Circles: The Flâneur’s Return is Also His Departure”, in Professor Mordechai Omer (ed.) Ori Gersht : Afterglow, exh. cat. (Published by August / Tel Aviv Museum of Art, London / Tel Aviv, 2002)；Nili Goren, “RealityTrauma: Circles of Validity and Meaning”, in Nii Goren (ed.) Avi Ganor: RealityTrauma, exh. cat. (Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, 2011)；Nili Goren, “Post on Pop”, in DPC Advertising (eds.) David La Chapelle: Lost and Found, exh. cat. (Pavleye Art and Culture, Prague, 2011).
CHUN Wai (Hong Kong)
Chun Wai is a curator, artist, and the course coordinator and lecturer for the Postgraduate Diploma in Photography at the Hong Kong University SPACE. He is based in Hong Kong, his motherland.
He earned the Diplôme national supérieur d’expression plastique (DNSEP), an advanced diploma in visual arts, from the Ministry of Culture in France. He subsequently opened his own studio in France and pursued art that integrated the essence of Western contemporary art into traditional Chinese aesthetics.
When Chun returned to Hong Kong in 1993, he taught in an art college and then worked as a photojournalist.
In 2011, Chun established Health in Action, an international NGO, to promote humanitarian services in Asian countries. In 2012, he was appointed academic committee member of the Dali International Photo Festival. In 2014, Chun was invited to be a portfolio reviewer at Encuentros Abiertos: Festival de la Luz and the Lianzhou International Photo Festival.
Recently, he curated “Latin American Contemporary Photography,” “The North: Photography from the Belfast School of Art at Ulster University,” and “Hong Kong Photography in the 1960s” at the Dali International Photography Festival (2015). He also curated “The Voice of Tacitness: The Second Asian Female Photography Exhibition” at the Hong Kong International Photo Festival” (2014), “Yuen Yeung: An Avant-Garde Photography Exhibition by Seven Hong Kong Artists” at the Lianzhou International Photo Festival (2013), and “The Voice of Tacitness: The First Asian Female Photography Exhibition” at the Dali International Photo Festival (2013).
He received the Curatorial Award given by the Chinese Photographers Association (2013), the Redpoll Trophy Best Publication given by the Fourth Dali International Photography Exhibition (2012), and the Human Rights Press Awards 2010: Photo Journalism Feature (PRIZE) given by the Foreign Correspondent’s Club in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, and Amnesty International Hong Kong (2011).
WANG Chunchen (China)
Wang Chunchen is a doctor of art history, head of the Curatorial Research Department at the CAFA Art Museum. In 2013, he was appointed the curator of the China Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale.
Wang has also greatly influenced Chinese contemporary art criticism through his translations of a dozen volumes on art history and theory, such as After the End of Art (Arthur C. Danto) and Art Since 1940. In 2009, he received the Critic Award at the China Contemporary Art Awards and published Art Intervenes in Art. He also published books including The Democracy of Art and The Politics of Images. He has curated numerous notable shows, including The First CAFAM Biennale “Super-Organism: Research and Experiment from a Specific View,” The First CAFAM·Future Exhibition “Sub-Phenomena: Report on the State of Young Chinese Art,” “Conceptual Renewal: A Brief History of Chinese Contemporary Photography,” “Transfiguration: The Presence of Chinese Artistic Methods in Venice,” and “Future Returns: Contemporary Art from China.”
TSAI Meng (China)
Born in 1978, Tsai Meng is a doctor of art history and an associate professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He currently works in the Curatorial Research Department at CAFA Art Museum.
He previously worked at the Photography Department at the Chinese National Academy of Arts and he was the photography project director at the Guangdong Museum of Art. He has curated exhibitions and biennales including the Guangzhou Photo Biennial (2009), “Spectacle and Gaze: An Exhibition of Contemporary Photography in China” (2009), The First CAFAM·Future Exhibition “Sub-Phenomena: Report on the State of Young Chinese Art” (2012), “Chinese Contemporary Photography 2009-2014” (2014), The Second CAFAM·Future Exhibition “Observer-Creator: The Reality Representation of Chinese Young Art” (2015), and “Naturalism and Images of the Mind: Works of the Photography Master Harry Callahan” (2015).
DUAN Jun (China)
Duan Jun is a Chinese art critic and curator. He received his doctorate from the Art History and Theory Department at Tsinghua University. Previously, he served as the deputy director of the White Box Art Museum in Beijing. Currently, he is teaching in the Art Theory Department at the Beijing Institute of Technology. Duan participated in the Chinese Fine Arts Critics Annual Conference from 2007 to 2014. He is a member of the Chinese Fine Arts Critics Annual Conference Organizing Committee.
Duan Jun has curated exhibitions including “Magnanimity: Collection of Atypical Works by 21 Chinese Artists,” “Dark Energy: Qin Ga,” “Tenth of a Second: Fen and Ma Liuming,” and “Drilling Wood for Water: Song Yonghong.” He also co-curated “Three Worlds Away: Conceptual Absolutism” and planned a seminar entitled “Frontiers in Criticism and Theory: Thirty Years of Chinese Performance Art.” He has given lectures and participated in seminars on the characteristics of Chinese contemporary art, new art media in the last twenty years, Chinese contemporary painting from 2000 to 2010, the material discourse and rhetorical transformation of Chinese contemporary art, Ma Liuming and 1990s performance art in China, and ancient Chinese portraits and physiognomy at art institutions such as the Suzhou Art Museum and Offenbach Art University.
Appendix 2．Oracle
Similar to other art genres, the field of photography consists of an extremely complex system of occupational division (e.g. artists, curators, historians, photography journalists, and publishers). Thus, how to establish an efficient system using resources that can be rationally distributed has become a crucial issue in the field of photography. In order to address this issue, Jim Enyeart and Nathan Lyons organized the first Oracle forum at the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in 1983. At the forum, more than twenty specialists discussed how to effectively share and utilize resources. The forum has attracted a large number of attendants every year since its inception.
The Oracle does not have permanent employees or office space. The forum is organized by different institutions in different countries around the world. From 1983 to today, the Oracle has been hosted thirty-one times in fifteen countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The number of attendants has also increased from about twenty to over one hundred.
At the forum, attendants discuss and vote on the most important issue facing the field. This issue can involve photography theory, curating strategies, collaboration, publication, history, literature management, collection, preservation and protection, education, fundraising, or other themes. Other activities, such as public lectures and visits to local tourist attractions and art museums and institutions, are also organized by the host institution.
Oracle normally lasts two and a half to four days, and the Post-Oracle (which consists of more activities arranged by the host organization) lasts two to three days.