Hirshhorn unveils its first contemporary Chinese photography show

Huang Yan, (b. 1966-) ‘Chinese Landscape Series No. 3,’ 1999, color photograph, 47 ¾ by 64in. © Huang Yan
Huang Yan, (b. 1966-) ‘Chinese Landscape Series No. 3,’ 1999, color photograph, 47 ¾ by 64in. © Huang Yan
Huang Yan, (b. 1966-) ‘Chinese Landscape Series No. 3,’ 1999, color photograph, 47 ¾ by 64in. © Huang Yan

WASHINGTON – A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China is the Hirshhorn’s first survey of photography by leading multigenerational Chinese artists made between the 1990s and 2000s. The exhibition, which continues until January 7, 2024, showcases 186 artworks made between 1993 and 2022, of which 141 are a landmark promised gift to the Hirshhorn from pioneering collector of Chinese art Larry Warsh. The exhibition’s title is drawn from a 1997 publication, a near manifesto, by Rong Rong and Liu Zheng that celebrated the possibilities in shifting the practice of photography away from realism toward a conceptual art practice.

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