China: Insights presents a cross-section of contemporary documentary work from mainland China, exploring the transition from the rural/agrarian environment to the urban/industrial setting in the Peoples Republic of China. Seven documentary photographers—Chen Yuan Zhong, Hua Er, Jia Yu Chuan, Li Nan, Yang Yan Kang, Yu Haibo, and Zhang Xinmin—record the tensions engendered by rapid change and persistent tradition in a dynamic China. Themes include rural Catholicism, matrilineal culture in an agrarian setting, the population shift from country to city, prostitution, gender and identity, typologies of urban citizenry, and the emergence of a thriving pop music/club scene as an index of internationalization. Collectively, these photographers have numerous publications, exhibitions, and awards to their credit, but little of their work has appeared outside of China. This touring exhibition is the first presentation of their work in the United States. The exhibition is curated by noted writer and critic A.D. Colman and Gu Zheng of the Dept. of Visual Culture, Fudan University, Shanghai; it is a project of the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, in collaboration with Flying Dragon Cultural Enterprises.
The Press Release can be found here.
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