Photographic Shanghai

by+Yi+Mei

Photography might be the most neglected sector of the Chinese art market， but the situation is changing with Photo Shanghai， the first international art fair dedicated to photography in the Asia-Pacific region， held in the Shanghai Exhibition Center from September 5 to 7. The event was managed by the World Photography Organization （WPO）， a subsidiary of Montgomery.

Showcasing 500 photographs by leading established and emerging international photographers across galleries from 18 cities in 15 countries， Photo Shanghai offered collectors of every level and interest as well as photography galleries a unique opportunity to set up promotion and communication networks in the Asian-Pacific region. World famous photography galleries including Berlins Camera Work， Londons Flowers Gallery and Paris A. Galerie all attended the fair. Additionally， master works from big names of global photography such as Araki Nobuyoshi， Nick Brandt， René Burri， Edward Burtynsky， Henri Cartier-Bresson， Patrick Demarchelier and Yang Fudong， were showcased at the fair.

Former Director of Photography at Christies London and independent photography expert， curator and art advisor Alexander Montague-Sparey served as Fair Director of the event. He believes the formation of Photo Shanghai meets increasing demand for popular and collectible photog- raphy in the Asia-Pacific and neighboring areas. “I know they have such demand，” explains Montague-Sparey. “When I worked as a director of Photography at Christies London， I sold many photography works， Western and Chinese created， to Chinese collectors. They could buy the art in London but could not get them in China. Thats why we need Photo Shanghai. Both Paris and New York have large-scale photography expos. But there was no such an event in Asia-Pacific. It was a blank.”

Photo Shanghai hosted a Photo Talk program featuring a series of discussions led by world renowned experts in fields including curating， appraising， collecting， dealing and international markets. Highlights included discussions between Montague-Sparey and Wall Street Journal photography director Jennifer Pastore and between New Yorks International Centre of Photography curator Christopher Phillips and RongRong， an artist and Founder& Director of Three Shadows Photography Art Center， exploring contemporary Chinese photography. Li Ningchun， Director of N-Minutes Festival， created a cutting edge program especially for the inaugural fair， establishing the connection between video art and photography， with focus on AsiaPacific and Western artists.

“Many Chinese photographic artists are very talented，” remarked David Fahey of Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles.“And we have noticed private Chinese col- lectors growing interest in photography. Shanghai is one of the most energetic and vital cities in the world and the best place to hold such an event.”

Photo Shanghai also presented a VIP program， which included a Private Collectors Summit and Forum with 30 leading photography collectors and experts from around the world to explore current opportunities of the international photography market. During the event， Wang Huangsheng， a well-known Chinese art critic who served as the artistic director of the first edition of the Beijing Photo Biennial in 2013， publicly lectured on selected pieces.“Photo Shanghai， as an event of the highest caliber， and will definitely bring enormous changes to the development of photography art in China in many aspects， including academic research， professionalization， standardization， market development， and public awareness，” opined Wang.

“The vast Asian art market has seen considerable growth over the past decade， and in that time photography has gained an ever-increasing role within the contemporary art space，” noted Sandy Angus， chairman of Montgomery and the World Photography Organization. “China has the advantage of a treasure trove of ancient photographs， as well as an appreciation of the medium of photography and its place in the art world. Photo Shanghai has the opportunity to draw on this interest amongst both Chinese and Asia-Pacific collectors.”