Jimei, Arles bring renowned photography festival to China

A renowned photography festival from France, the Rencontres d'Arles, has come to the Jimei district of Xiamen, Fujian province. Running untill Dec 16, it is a joint presentation of the world's most exciting visual arts projects produced by local authorities in Xiamen and the French photography festival committee.

The show is taking place in Jimei New Town, a residential and business area in the city that promotes a high-quality lifestyle and is also an important part of Xiamen's position as a "scenic and culturally profound city", according to the city government.

The photography festival is also one of the cultural events aligned with the ongoing Xiamen International Fashion Week.

East-West encounter

The Rencontres d'Arles is a summer photography festival based in Arles, a city in the south of France. It was founded in 1970 by Lucien Clergue, a famous photographer from Arles and a best friend of Pablo Picasso. The festival enjoys a worldwide reputation as an important event in the photography world.

The show in Jimei is the festival's first partnership with China and also viewed as an "encounter between the West and the East", organizers said.

Sam Stourdze, director of the Rencontres d'Arles, attended the opening ceremony on Nov 15 in Jimei. Stourdze said Arles and Jimei both have deep cultural heritage roots and an artistic vibe, and the joint project in Jimei is a new home for the Rencontres d'Arles outside France.

Jimei, in Chinese, means a cluster of beauty. It is well known in China for its clusters of excellent education and tourist resources, as well as being the hometown of many prominent overseas Chinese. Tah Kah Kee, also known as Chen Jiageng, was one of these. A businessman and philanthropist, Chen established the Jimei Study Village in 1913, which offers comprehensive education from kindergarten to university or vocational schools.

Arles, a coastal city in Provence that is famous for its lavender fields, has a long history and many heritage sites.

In recent years, the Xiamen government has been sharpening its cultural edge. Jimei, with its scenic and historic beauty, accommodates many of the city's major cultural events, including the Strawberry Music Festival that ended in early November, one of China's most popular music festivals.

Jimei New Town

The Jimei and Arles photography festival is being held in three venues in Jimei New Town. The new town is a long-term project of the Xiamen government to build an ideal residential, business and tourist destination.

Artworks are on display in the new town's Yuanboyuan, the Garden Expo Center; the Jiageng Art Center; and the Southern Headquarters of the Three Shadows Photography Art Center.

The Garden Expo Center is made up of small islands, making unique and picturesque landscapes of "gardens above the sea". The Jiageng Art Center, part of the Jiageng Theater, is known for Jiageng-style architecture. The Jimei Study Village, designed by Chen Jiageng, is a prime example of the style and features a combination of Oriental and Western architecture, which became influential later throughout the province.

Huang Rui, founder of the renowned 798 Art District in Beijing and also a famous contemporary artist, said the Jimei and Arles photography festival, in terms of exhibition space design and artwork curation, has reached the level of that in major cities such as New York, Beijing and Shanghai.

"I've been to many art exhibitions," he said. "This festival in Jimei is par excellence. Many works featured in the show have long-lasting value."

Festival highlights

The Jimei and Arles photography festival features five exhibition projects from the Rencontres d'Arles in the summer. The many separate exhibitions display thousands of artworks, including photos, videos and installation art.

Li Zhenhua, executive director of the Jimei and Arles photography festival, said more than 300 artists and curators from around the world are involved in the festival, including Daido Moriyama, one of Japan's most important and famous photographers; Timmy Yip, a filmmaker from Hong Kong who won an Academy Award for art direction; Taiwanese photographer Ruan Yizhong; Liu Xiangcheng, a Pulitzer Prize winner for photo journalism; and Chinese artist Rong Rong, founder of the Three Shadows Photography Art Center.

In addition to well-established artists, the show also features work from emerging artists around the world.

As well as the exhibitions, there are also opportunities for visitors to interact with the artists, making real exchanges between artists and audience possible.

Contact the writers through linting@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/19/2015 page10)