Contemporary Chinese photography celebrated at PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco second edition
● Distinguished Chinese artist Hai Bo subject of Spotlight exhibition and will give insight to his work in the Fair’s talks program
● San Francisco Museum of Modern Art presents new acquisitions of Chinese contemporary photography
● MEDIA PREVIEW: Thursday, February 22, 4-5pm with curator tour
San Francisco, February 7, 2018: Ahead of its opening on Thursday, February 22, PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco today reveals details of the Spotlight exhibition, public programs and full gallery list for the 2018 edition. The fair runs February 22-25 at the Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason.
Presentations of exciting contemporary Asian photography
PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco uniquely draws upon the Asian content of its sister fair in Shanghai to offer collectors on the West Coast access to artists and galleries never before seen in the Bay Area.
Acclaimed Chinese artist Hai Bo will be the subject of the Spotlight exhibition and SFMOMA will present a gallery of works by three cutting-edge Chinese artists, acquired at PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai.
The 2018 edition will see the debut of leading Asian galleries M97 (Shanghai), ShanghART Gallery (Beijing, Shanghai & Singapore), Tang Feng Gallery (Miaoli City) and Three Shadows +3 Gallery (Beijing & Xiamen). Noted Asian artists will also be featured by returning galleries including Naoya Hatakeyama (SAGE, Paris), Jungjin Lee (Galerie Stephan Witschi, Zurich), Shen Wei and Boomoon (Flowers Gallery, London & New York).
The Fair’s Spotlight sector, which highlights a living artist of contemporary importance, will see the public debut of Hai Bo’s new series The Southern.
Hai Bo (b. 1962) is a distinguished Chinese artist whose works are in museum collections across the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Getty. His highly conceptual photographs document the changing social, economic and environmental climate of contemporary Chinese society. The Southern reflects upon the ordinary and mysterious scenes in southern China, containing elements from the past to the present, from reality to dreams. The artist will discuss his practice as part of the Conversations talks program on Saturday, February 24 at 1pm.
Hai Bo’s work is being brought to PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco by partner Branding Shanghai together with Pace Gallery and Zephyr Art.
SFMOMA – Chinese Photography Now!
The Fair’s First Look opening night event on Thursday, February 22, will benefit SFMOMA’s photography program, supporting an acquisition of works by three contemporary Chinese artists that will be presented at the fair.
SFMOMA’s Clément Chéroux, Senior Curator of Photography, said: “The museum has a long tradition of collecting and exhibiting works that represent the range and diversity of non-Western photographic production. In addition to our deep concentrations of American and European photographs, we have developed strong holdings by Japanese, Mexican, and South African photographers. Currently, we are working to expand our collection of contemporary Chinese photography.”
Chéroux continues: “PHOTOFAIRS also presents an annual fair in Shanghai. The fourth edition of that event, held in September 2017, highlighted the liveliness and creativity of China’s contemporary
photography scene. From the many works featured there we selected twenty-eight pictures by
three different Chinese artists: South Ho Siu Nam (b. 1984), Chen Wei (b. 1980) and Chen Xiaoyun (b. 1971). Those photographs, displayed here, will enter the SFMOMA collection through the generous acquisition support of PHOTOFAIRS.”
2018 Galleries and Artists
PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco will offer contemporary photography and moving image by emerging and internationally recognized artists. Highlighted artists include: Yang Fudong (ShanghART, Beijing, Singapore & Shanghai), Noémie Goudal (Les Filles du Calvaire, Paris), Abelardo Morell (Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York & Zurich), Michal Rovner (Pace Gallery, Geneva, New York, Palo Alto, London, Paris, Seoul & Beijing), Alec Soth (Weinstein Hammons Gallery, Minneapolis), Juergen Teller (Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve, Paris) and Wolfgang Tillmans (SAGE, Paris).
Confirmed galleries debuting at the Fair are: acb Gallery (Budapest), Almanaque (Mexico City), Gallery 1/1 (Seattle), Les Filles du Calvaire (Paris), Robert Klein Gallery (Boston), KLV Art Projects (Vienna), Robert Morat Galerie (Berlin), Christine Park Gallery (London & New York), Parrotta (Cologne), Rademakers Gallery (Amsterdam), The Ravestijn Gallery (Amsterdam), SAGE (Paris), ShanghART Gallery (Beijing, Shanghai & Singapore), Bruce Silverstein (New York), Tang Feng Gallery (Miaoli City), Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve (Paris) and Weinstein Hammons Gallery (Minneapolis).
Returning galleries include: CAMERA WORK (Berlin), Casemore Kirkeby (San Francisc), De Soto Gallery (Los Angeles), East Wing (Doha), EUQINOMprojects (San Francisco), Peter Fetterman Gallery (Santa Monica), Flowers Gallery (London & New York), In The Gallery (Copenhagen), Edwynn Houk Gallery (New York & Zurich), Robert Koch Gallery (San Francisco), M97 (Shanghai), Robert Mann Gallery (New York), Pace Gallery (New York, Palo Alto, London, Paris, Seoul & Beijing), Ratio 3 (San Francisco), Three Shadows +3 Gallery (Beijing & Xiamen), Upfor (Portland), Galerie Stephan Witschi (Zurich), and Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery (New York).
The Fair’s Books & Editions partners are The Lapis Press (Los Angeles) and Nazraeli Press (Paso Robles), and non-profits include Aperture (New York) and SF Camerawork (San Francisco).
For further information, images or interviews please contact:
Jill Cotton, PR Director, PHOTOFAIRS, E: [email protected] T: +44 20 7886 3043
Notes to Editors
PHOTOFAIRS
PHOTOFAIRS is dedicated to presenting fine art photography and moving image from leading international galleries and their artists in dynamic and cutting-edge destinations around the world. Fair destinations include PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco February 23-25, 2018 in the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason Center and the fifth edition of PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, September 21-23, 2018 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.
2018 edition partners
PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco is kindly supported by Parallel Advisors (Financial Partner), Audi on Demand (Lifestyle Partner), FotoFocus Cincinnati (Event Partner), Nopalito (Restaurant Partner), Minnesota Street Project Art Services (Art Logistics Partner), Birch + Tailor (Design Partner), Smith Andersen North (Framing & Printing Partner) and Surf Air (Private Airline Partner). The Online Partner Artsy will host the Official Online Preview.
Public Program at PHOTOFAIRS | San Francisco
● Insights: “The Poetry of Silence” - a unique, museum-quality exhibition featuring 50 works for private sale by 35 artists, all exploring photography’s ability to be quiet, calming and self-reflective. Featured artists include: Boomoon (Flowers Gallery, London & New York), Erica Deeman (Anthony Meier Fine Art, San Francisco), Tammy Rae Carland and Matt Lipps (Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco), Adam Katseff (Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco), Tania Franco-Klein (Almanaque, Mexico City), Robert Mapplethorpe (Weinstein Hammons Gallery, Minneapolis), Eva Schlegel (Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco), Penelope Umbrico (Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York), Wei-ming Yuan (Tang Feng Gallery, Miaoli City).
● Conversations – talks program exploring key themes regarding the international fine art photography market and in-depth discussions with artists including Matt Lipps, Farrah Karapetian, Abelardo Morell and Mandy Barker.
● Connected – a dedicated platform for those working in moving image. Featuring the work of 16 leading female artists all exploring issues around gender representation. The exhibition, The Channel of Democracy: Womanhood, Power & Freedom in Video Art, is curated by Justin Hoover and includes the work of Shiva Ahmadi, Zeina Barakeh, Kate Gilmore and Sophie Clements,
● Staged - curated platform featuring photographers pushing the boundaries of the photographic medium. The 2018 edition includes new works by Darren Harvey-Regan (The Ravestijn Gallery, Amsterdam) will be presented alongside original pieces by Mona Kuhn (Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York & Zurich), Meghann Riepenhoff and Klea McKenna (both EUQINOMprojects, San Francisco), and Roman Signer (Galerie Stephan Witschi, Zürich).
