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

Hirshhorn unveils its first contemporary Chinese photography show

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley
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.

A Window Suddenly Opens chronicles how, during three decades, emerging Chinese artists independently embraced the immediacy of print and digital photography and recorded performance and video art during an unprecedented cultural shift away from the priority of the collective to a revived focus on the self.

Zhang Dali (b. 1963-) ‘1999 31,’ 1999, color photograph, sheet, 43 3/8 by 31 1/2in. © Zhang Dali
Zhang Dali (b. 1963-) ‘1999 31,’ 1999, color photograph, sheet, 43 3/8 by 31 1/2in. © Zhang Dali

Among the roster of 25 participating artists to first engage with this trend are Cang Xin, Cao Fei, Lin Tianmiao, LuYang and Song Dong. Artists such as Hong Hao, Huang Yan, Qiu Zhijie, Sheng Qi and Zhang Dali questioned individualism in a rapidly mechanizing environment, responding in and to the moment with candor.

Weng Fen (b. 1961-) ‘On the Wall Series: Guangzhou 1,’ 2002-2003, color photograph, sheet 34 ½ by 44 5/8in; image 31 ½ by 41 3/8in. © Weng Fen
Weng Fen (b. 1961-) ‘On the Wall Series: Guangzhou 1,’ 2002-2003, color photograph, sheet 34 ½ by 44 5/8in; image 31 ½ by 41 3/8in. © Weng Fen

Featured artists include Cang Xin, Cao Fei, Chen Shaoxiong, Cui Xiuwen, Gu Dexin, Hai Bo, Hong Hao, Hong Lei, Huang Yan, Lin Tianmiao, LuYang, Ma Liuming, Qiu Zhijie, Rong Rong, Sheng Qi, Song Dong, Song Yongping, Wang Jinsong, Wang Qingsong, Weng Fen, Xing Danwen, Zhang Dali, Zhang Huan, Zhang Peili and Zhuang Hui.

Visit the website of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and see its dedicated page for A Window Suddenly Opens: Contemporary Photography in China.