After interesting themselves to contemporary Japanese, Chilean, Caribbean, Moroccan or Mexican art, the 193 Gallery offers us a zoom on the photography of Chinese youth. The exhibition "Manifest of freedom" aims to provide an overview of young Chinese photography.
From September 2th to October 18th, a group exhibition will provide a panorama of this youth by crossing different points of view and photographic approaches. The pop portraits of John Yuyi will meet the raw clichés of Lao Xie Xie, the animated evenings of Ka Xiaoxi will cross paths with the intimate work of Su Yang. Finally, the sensuality of Li Hui's images will contrast with Yuyang Liu's documentary approach. These emerging talents will be complemented by a few shots by Ren Hang, whose archives never cease to amaze us with their visual genius.
For 50 years, Chinese photography was the government's propaganda tool. Only party members were allowed to own a camera. Since then, the Chinese youth have taken up the photographic medium to express themselves.
They question social pressure, the brutality of a society or simply celebrate life, love and even its singularity.
Reng Hang, the shooting star of photography, has paved the way for a whole generation.
His raw and uncomplicated images have inspired his heirs and shaped a photographic writing.
The imagery of Chinese youth is today intimate, without taboos, and bodies are shown in their simplest cameras. It is also nourished by web culture and displays a "do it yourself" aesthetic, where the hard light of the flash becomes a signature.
These images deal with sexuality, gender, partying, identity, social conventions, the couple, among other things, and sign a true manifest of freedom.
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