Contemporary Image Exhibition:
"FLOAT: Mapping the Post-Image Era"
Organizer：
Qingdao International Art Annual Exhibition Committee
Co-organizers:
DCA ·Exit V Art Museum
Yishi Academy
Curator：
ZHANG Chuxiang
Exhibition Director：
LIN Zhu
Participating Artists：
ZHANG Xinmin、DAI Fei、TIAN Ye、HE Xiaohua、LUO Jinqian、SUN Junmei、CHEN Peiqiu
Duration：
2025.12.01-2025.12.31
Opening:
2025.12.01.PM2:30
Venue：
1F Exhibition Hall, Exit V Art Museum, No. 122-1 Zhuzhou Road, Laoshan District, Qingdao
· Curator ·
Zhang Chuxiang
Columnist, currently serving as Artistic Director of [Yishi Academy] in Guangdong. Previously held positions as: Member of the 6th Theoretical Committee of the China Photographers Association, Judge for the 5th and 6th Jinan International Photography Biennale.
· Foreword ·
Curator's Statement for Flora and Fauna Stir
By Zhang Chuxiang
From an existential perspective, the pleasures of everyday life and artistic living are not mere "ornaments" attached to material reproduction. Instead, they represent a grid-like mode of existence where "the individual and the collective" construct "a certain sense of meaning" through reality, images and narratives within a time-space continuum. This constitutes a tendency and direction for certain life values. Herein, we have no intention of "charting a course"; on the contrary, what is presented is the destined trajectory and inherent limitations revealed through experiments along multiple paths. As an old adage goes: a nation has its own fortune; a clan has its own genealogical destiny...
This edition of the Qingdao International Art Annual Exhibition is themed Tathagata Has Come. From the perspective of Eastern Buddhist philosophy, "Tathagata" signifies enlightenment and arrival, indicating the mutual infiltration of transcendent religious experience and the wisdom of daily life. In other words, "spiritual awakening" is not a detachment from the mundane, but a state of enlightenment manifested in everyday life. The curator juxtaposes this wisdom of awakening with the metaphor of "flora and fauna of the masses", emphasizing the latent radiance of ordinary lives. Though common and minute, plants and creatures can blossom with unique "wisdom-beauty" under specific cultural conditions and when people live in harmony with their surroundings, forming an intricate spectrum interwoven with daily practices, social structures and cultural meanings.
Its significance is not always self-evident; more often than not, it lies hidden in repetitive cultural surveys, trivial shooting interactions and subtle emotional exchanges. From phenomenological and sociological perspectives, the significance of the exhibition can be broken down as follows: Zhang Xinmin’s works reveal the visibility of existence—the appeal of such visibility is not mere entertainment, but the presentation of an intentional structure. The works of Sun Junmei and Luo Jinqian raise, re-practice and re-create questions concerning the fabric of social relations and the cornerstones of art; they redirect attention from monotonous reality to details imbued with symbolic significance. Tian Ye’s works explore how individuals are perceived by themselves and others in daily behaviors; the choices of lifestyle, and the playful manipulation of images and language, all serve as the breeding ground for worldly delights. Chen Peiqiu casts doubts on the re-cognition of historical time and space; He Xiaohua’s works emphasize the humanistic issues arising from the interactions between people, neighbors and public spaces; Dai Fei’s works articulate the need for creativity in daily life, highlighting the cultural and psychological essence behind "ritualized" everyday behaviors... In doing so, the photographers continuously endow contemporary life with new delights and fresh thresholds of experience.
At the level of values, the significance of popular life involves debates over the concept of "the good life". The utilitarian perspective emphasizes material well-being and efficient distribution, while the existential perspective focuses on self-actualization and daily happiness. These viewpoints are not diametrically opposed. The significance of exhibitions, cultural consumption and public art are all vital mechanisms for striking this balance: through the role of artistic aesthetics and critical thinking, they enable the public to understand and choose lifestyles that align with the long-term interests of both the individual and the collective. This returns us to the aforementioned proposition of destined paths and the well-being of the nation and its people. I have no desire to make further judgments; what concerns me is the presentation of diverse values and the comparative study between different cultures.
The Qingdao International Art Annual Exhibition advocates respecting the complexity of daily life, and avoiding as much as possible the overshadowing of the diversity of small-scale human experiences by grand narratives. It aims to enhance the public’s pursuit of multiple paths to happiness with intrinsic significance. The significance of the popular life of delights lies in bridging the micro-experiences of individuals and the macro-values of society. The metaphor of flora and fauna reminds us that beauty waiting to be awakened lies in the ordinary; the message of Tathagata indicates the possibility of awareness and immediate action. In an era where AI has become an "amplifier of delight functions", how can we strike a balance between technological innovation and visual regulation?
Overall, the realization of popular delights depends on four pillars: the advancement of artistic practice, the ethicalization of work design, the sustainability of exhibition systems, and the agency of individual daily life. Only through the synergy of these four elements can flora and fauna radiate splendor, and daily life transform into a dynamic "field of stirring" where meaning and delight nourish each other.
As the curator would fondly say: Seize the moment while the idle body is still young, and let loose all my little whims and wildness...
· Profiles of Participating Artists and Their Works ·
Zhang Xinmin
Born in Deyang, Sichuan in 1952, he moved to Shenzhen in 1988.
Publications:
1990: Surrounding the City: The Expedition of Chinese Farmers to the Urban Areas, a large-scale thematic work (Shaanxi Normal University Press)
1996:
Liukeng: The Last Specimen of China’s Traditional Agricultural Society (Zhejiang Photographic Press)
Solo Exhibitions:
2011: The 3rd Contemporary Art Exhibition, Guangdong Museum of Art
2012:
Enter the City, Enter the City, Enter the City, Times Museum, Guangzhou
2017:
Enter the City, Enter the City, Enter the City, Main Exhibition Hall of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture
2018:
Liukeng Special Exhibition of Texts and Images, Ningbo International Photography Festival
Dai Fei
Associate Professor and Master's Supervisor, Shanghai Normal University
Standing Director, Shanghai Photographers Association
Member, China Photographers Association
Tian Ye
Independent video artist. His works have been exhibited in art museums and galleries in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Taipei, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Chongqing, Lanzhou, Hamburg (Germany), Hannover (Germany), Alexandria (Italy) and other cities on numerous occasions.
He Xiaohua
Born in Shaoyang, Hunan. Graduated from the PLA Information Engineering University and furthered studies at the Beijing Film Academy. Currently based in Liuzhou, he works as an independent video artist and a contracted photographer of Artron.
The Missing No.05 (Series)
Luo Jinqian
Graduated from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Minzu University of China, with a major in Chinese Language and Literature. Signed Artist of Guangxi for the term 2025–2027.
Working primarily with photography and installation as mediums, his works explore themes such as rural memory, ecological environment, and female living conditions. Integrating performance art, site-specific intervention and video documentation, the creations convey social criticism through poetic visual language—rooted in personal life experiences while reflecting the collective memory of the times.
March 21, 2023 Prosperity of the Six Domestic Animals Ⅱ: Beside a farmland lies a garbage dump, where weeds have overgrown all over the heap as the fruit farmers left it be.
April 30, 2021 Prosperity of the Six Domestic Animals Ⅱ: A large garbage dump was continuously emitting white smoke, and an excavator was digging out the ignition point to put out the fire.
Sun Junmei
Australian-based artist, Member of China Photographers Association, Director of China Women Photographers Association
Chen peiqiu
He is currently a Member of the China Photographers Association, Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Photographers Association, and Chairman of the Shantou Photographers Association. He advocates the creative philosophy of "local narration, contemporary expression, and diversified presentation".
· Exhibition Venue ·
