Moganshan Road, the art epicenter of Shanghai, is getting another feather in its cap. With sculpture, modern, fine, oil and performance art in abundance, it is not surprising that another gallery has popped up - m97 dedicated to photography.

Gallery owner and director Steven Harris believes it is Shanghai's only large major gallery devoted solely to photography.

Harris says the art of light is increasingly popular in Shanghai and, combined with high technology, is seen by young artists as a viable medium for their new messages about modern society.

Spanning genres from portraiture to conceptual to documentary photography, m97 provides a platform for photography artists who are working in China or addressing China-related issues.

"Art is any sort of creative work that is processing some sort of information rather than being just a decorative craft," says Harris. "It is the course of the understanding that goes into the art and when it is viewed, making a sort of silent dialogue."

Photography has a documenting element or a social critique element about current conditions of living and the path of development, explains the American expat.

Starting out as an editorial and commercial photographer, Harris has always harbored an interest in fine art and conceptual photography.

"This was a personal luxury that I would do in my own time. The idea for this conceptual art photography gallery has been on my mind from 2003," says Harris.

It is common in the West to see galleries dedicated to photography but for Shanghai this is a new concept.

"There are two or three small studios that specialize but we do only 100 percent photography," says Harris.

The gallery's opening exhibition showcases the work of Beijing-based artist Jiang Zhi.

Jiang's series of large-scale photographs titled "Things Would Turn Simpler Once They Happened" concerns the individual's hopes and desires that something unexpected and beyond their control would happen and bring change to their otherwise ordinary life.

"In this age of changes, people expect something to happen to them," says Jiang, "something that throws light on them like a spotlight."

"Everything then will become simpler, more beautiful and endurable. They are waiting for their lives to be changed by this 'something' permanently. Religion, love, wealth, opportunity - whatever should fall upon us is welcomed, as long as it can rescue us from the ordinary repetition of daily life."

His previous projects concern "fable, crisis in love, politics, relationships, daily urban life," Jiang says.

"Every artist uses different methods to present their works and I most likely to do it with a touch of imagination. I guess you can call my work the magical realism of photography."

Explaining the title of his show, Jiang says, "I became interested in power and change."

At first he documented the reactions of volunteer subjects when he projected a glaring beam of light onto their faces. The color photographs show dazzling beams of powerful light, spotlights on the subjects.

"Most of them showed a trace of struggle but not everyone appeared to be in discomfort. Some surrendered, some hated it, some enjoyed it, and some simply tried to hide from it," Jiang says.

"I was touched by these images and decided to make it into a project. To me, the ray of light can mean many things."

Commenting on Jiang's work, Harris continues, "His works seems to depict China, waiting for something to happen, showing a level of uncertainty about the future. This concept is not exclusively for China.

Chinese photography, including some of Jiang's work, is shown in the New York International Center of Photography and Harris calls it "the milestone putting Chinese artists on the map."

Now in Shanghai people are starting to appreciate photography more.

"It is one of the more progressive mediums in contemporary art and there seems to be a boom of artists realizing that it is a viable medium," says Harris.

With advanced technology, photography is not limited to just what can be captured by a camera. Images can be made digitally, through scanning or even from films.

"There are many young artists coming of age in modern China who are trying to find new ways to say new things," says Harris.

"The gallery for me offers an insight into the very thing that keeps most expats in China - a curiosity to explore the development of this country and society, to look at where this place is going and what will be the future."

Address: 2/F, 97 Moganshan Rd
Date: March 3 - April 11 (First exhibition)
Tuesday-Sunday, 10:30am-6:30pm
Tel: 6266-1597