South Ural State University opens a “Journey to China” photo exhibition, timed to coincide with the 80th Anniversary of Victory over Militaristic Japan. Namely this holiday is celebrated on September 3rd.
The exhibition visitors will be able to make a journey to modern flourishing China confidently looking into the future.
Two years ago, the initiative on creation of this exhibit was put forward by a renowned photo artist Vladimir Bogdanovsky, the head of the State Museum of the South Ural History back then. He addressed Nataliia Parfentieva, Chairperson of the Council of the Russian Historical Society for the Chelyabinsk Region, Head of the Department of Theology, Culture, and Arts of the SUSU Institute of Media, Social Sciences and Humanities for assistance. A representative from China, postgraduate of the Institute of Media, Social Sciences and Humanities Wang Yundong, also joined the work on this exhibition. He did a huge amount of work to collect information about the authors of photographs in Chinese mass media publications, recovered biographical details of the masters, translated the titles, drew up the notations, and identified the locations in China depicted in the photos. It turned out that all 75 photos had been taken by contemporary photo artists from the Celestial Empire, who are rightfully considered to be top-class professionals recognized in China and beyond it. Last spring this exhibition was held at the State Museum of the South Ural History, after that it moved to Salekhard, and now it is back in Chelyabinsk.
The exhibit will be located in two spaces: in the hall of the 3rd floor and in the Art Gallery on the 1st floor of the main university building. On the 3rd floor you will be able to see works by contemporary masters depicting everyday life of the Chinese people: families, young people, workers, and athletes. The attendees will learn about the culture of multiple ethnic groups living in China, about the ancient Chinese traditions carefully preserved in our time too: martial arts, Chinese opera, ancient and ultramodern architecture, folk festivities; and will be able to see beautiful cities and Buddhist temples. The Art Gallery on the 1st floor will exhibit works of artistic value in the traditional Chinese style, including those by famous successors to the Chinese Pictorialism (when it is difficult to tell apart a photo, for example, from a traditional Chinese painting). These are true masterpieces. They include works by Li Juexun with the colours of blooming rice fields, or Zhangjiajie in China Ink Painting by Peng Dali, or Fisherman by Kim Liuching. This exhibition is organized at the university through the courtesy of the Director of the State Museum of the South Ural History Polina Glinskikh. It is important to mention the unique quality of the photo works printed on special silk paper.
At the Art Gallery an electronic info booth will also be functioning, it will offer detailed information explaining the semantics of each of the 75 works of photo art. These texts are the result of collaboration of the student and the teacher: staff member of the SUSU Cultural Theory and History Research and Education Centre, art historian Wang Yundong, and Professor of the Institute of Media, Social Sciences and Humanities, Doctor of Sciences (Art History), Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation Nataliia Parfentieva.
“Works by Pictorialism artists show us how contemporary photo artists from China perceive the ancient times and try to reinterpret them,” explains the exhibition curator, Doctor of Sciences (Art History) Nataliia Parfentieva. “Recently, together with Wang Yundong, we have made a presentation of this exhibition at an international conference in Minsk. The exhibit sparked great interest among specialists. So, there is a chance that we will organize this exhibition in the near abroad as well.”
The exhibition will open on September 5th at 13:00 and it will work approximately till October 1st, or maybe even longer if the potential visitors would wish so.
Master classes on Chinese art will also be held during the exhibition days. Students and teaching staff members of the Department of Theology, Culture, and Arts will hold excursions for all those willing. The high mastery of Chinese photo artists, who have a fine appreciation of beauty and who love the traditions and values of their people, will touch everyone’s heart.