Group Exhibition Guangdong Times Museum, Guangzhou
Reading the Land: The Poetics of Image, Fieldwork, and Geography examines the relationships between contemporary artistic practices in China, local geographical knowledge, global ecological discourses, and the lived experiences of individual artists. This research-based exhibition brings together the work of twenty-two artists who employ photography and moving image as their primary media to reconstruct visual narratives rooted in geography. Taking fengshui geomancy (kanyu) as a metaphor, the exhibition highlights how artists investigate the land as a means of engaging with the intertwined aesthetic, cultural, ecological, and geopolitical questions embedded in the Chinese landscape.
Drawing on the themes and concerns of the participating artists, the exhibition is organized into four interconnected sections.
"Mapping the Terrain" features works by Guo Jiaxi, Lin Shu, Taco, Zeng Han, and Xu Xiaoxiao, who use photography to explore the intersections of Chinese traditional culture, aesthetics, and geography. Their works reveal the natural and cultural significance of sacred mountains, the mystery of Buddhist pagodas, the temporal and spatial dimensions of Daoist grotto-heavens, the spirit of classical landscape painting, and the multifaceted history of the Great Wall, demonstrating photography's capacity for both documentation and critical reflection.
In "Geological Perception," works by Chen Xiaoyi, He Zike, Li Yong, Zhang Wenxin, and Zhang Zixuan connect the geological and ecological narratives of the Hengduan Mountains, the Guizhou Plateau, the Fushun mining district, subterranean cave systems, and iron ore deposits. These works reveal the profound interdependence between humanity and the Earth while reflecting on contemporary relationships between nature and human activity.
"Infrastructure Archaeology" brings together works by Lü Ge'er, Zhang Beichen, Feng Fangyu, Han Qian, and Liu Wei, tracing the histories of water conservancy systems, communication networks, industrial production, mining, and urban infrastructure. Their works expose the complex entanglements between modernity and geopolitics through the material traces of built environments.
The final section, "Poetics of an Imagined Homeland," presents works by Zhu Yinghao, Zheng Andong, Liu Yujia, Liu Xin, and Ren Zeyuan, leading viewers into an imagined landscape that transcends time and space while continuing to explore the intricate relationships between humanity and nature, technology and ecology.
The exhibition design follows the narrative progression of these four sections, creating a visitor's journey through "Traversing the Mountains," "Exploring the Terrain," "Entering the City," and "Returning Home." Audiences are invited to travel across China's mountains, rivers, and cultural histories, retracing the artists' journeys and rediscovering the vast geographical landscape of China at the intersection of visual art, geography, and history.
Throughout the exhibition, a series of public programs—including artist screenings, academic roundtable discussions, artist workshops, and educational events—will further expand the dialogue initiated by the exhibition.
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