A Glimpse into Contemporary Chinese Photography
With the current exhibition Paths Cross, 9 The Gallery moves to the forefront of cultural connectivity in Phoenix. The show features work from more than 20 Chinese photographers who bring an international vision into focus, helping viewers realize that we are more similar than different.
Gallery owner Sean McGarry has partnered with Chinese-born curator Ding Ding Stewart of Dibarti Art to unite East and West in a way that allows viewers a rare glimpse into China from afar, stepping into unfamiliar worlds through the artistic lens.
The exhibition allows viewers to take a journey – from realism to abstraction, superimposed to surreal, figurative to fairytale like – as the mind moves in and out of each of these different moments in time. Every piece tells a story of its own, while bringing all of these artists together in a cohesive way, illustrating how members of a society each have our own stories, yet they become part of an overall narrative that is the human experience.
Art is a language of its own, and culture is the filter through which we gain our understanding of what we see. The more cultures we cross paths with, the more we learn about others, and the more we are able to translate the meanings of what we see in new ways. This is the clear mission of the Paths Cross exhibition.
On a personal note, China was my first overseas destination and it forever changed my outlook on the world, helping me realize that so much of what I believed about the East was inaccurate, misinterpreted, and lost in translation, having only ever tried to understand it from a Western perspective.
This exhibition ties together East and West, traditional influences and contemporary conversations, subtle suggestions and interpretive innuendos that allow us to hear the secret whispers of artists’ voices, inviting us to unravel hidden meanings within.
Traditional Chinese artworks are some of the oldest forms of collectables, but Chinese contemporary art has likely not yet reached its potential in the art market. However, this seems to be changing quickly and is one of the reasons why the exhibition partners (with the support of Image & Eye, a Chinese photography collective) decided to bring this show to Phoenix, exposing these artists in America for the first time.
As director of 9 The Gallery, McGarry has been a part of the evolution of the art industry here and has been especially impactful in helping Arizona artists become more established. With this exhibition, he is now also bridging the gap for artists in other parts in the world, stating, “this is a chance to break misconceptions. We intend to demonstrate what connects us as humans and show how beautifully familiar the unfamiliar can be.”
One of the pieces that McGarry helped me interpret was, “Forbidden Scenery” by artist Wen Shengda. In describing the work, he says, “the Great Wall stretches across the photograph as one of the longest representations in photography. Initially drawing the viewers’ attention with its vibrant fuchsia color, the wall reveals subtle meanings depending on the viewer’s own interpretation.”
Originally from Beijing, Stewart of Dibarti Art has been in the States for nearly five years and has made Arizona her home. Both Ding Ding and Sean are passionate about opening doors for artists and showing art that is not following trends, but hopefully, setting them.
“The exhibition provides a platform for underestimated, underrepresented, and undiscovered artists to show their talents, especially in a global context,” says Stewart. She elaborates on a particular piece from the I Am Not Myself series by artist Wang Xueya. This series captures special aspects of the lives of contemporary urban women, as well as the imprints left by unique times and events. “Through the self-reflection of my body being trapped in different spaces and situations, I hope to evoke resonance and responses from more ‘not me’ individuals,” explains Xueya. “I Am Not Myself is me, yet not just me.”
The Paths Cross exhibition will be on display until the end of July with gallery hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1:00pm to 8:00pm. The gallery is located in the Lawrence Building at 515 E. Grant Street in the Phoenix Warehouse District. Parking is free in the gated lot out front. For more information, you can contact Sean McGarry at (480) 454-5929 or by email at sean@9thegallery.com. For information related to the exhibition, you can contact Ding Ding Stewart at (520) 789-6108.
*featured image of demolished tower:
Lin Zhu “Insight″ Giclée on Archival Paper, 27 1/2″ x 19 1/2” Framed