Photo festival held for first time outside France

 

Caochangdi hosts the first Les Rencotres d'Arles photography festival outside France through June 30. Photo provied by Chambers Fine Art Gallery

 

By Chu Meng

A portion of Les Rencontres d’Arles photography festival is being held outside France for the first time in its four-decade history. The honor of being its first overseas host goes to Caochangdi, the Beijing art village that festival organizers see eventually becoming an international art hub.

Les Rencontres, which has helped define the best and brightest figures in photography since 1969, has brought to Caochangdi “Photo Spring,” a series of photography exhibitions, workshops and slide presentations featuring top international works. It also includes forums, concerts and film screenings. 

“As a grassroots art space, we are in bad need of fresh foreign-art influences to cultivate young Chinese artists,” says Li Li, public relations director of Three Shadows Photography Art Center, co-organizer of Les Rencontres, along with Thinking Hands Culture Center in 798 Art District.

“We will further discuss with foreign counterparts about how an art zone can grow in a healthier and more harmonious way, and learn how to sustainably manage an art community,” Liu Hongli, a member of the Caochangdi Art Zone Committee, says.

Francois Hébel, director of Les Rencontres, sees in Caochangdi the Arles of 40 years ago. “Caochangdi was born on the outskirts of Beijing in 2000 and has since flourished into a vibrant artist’s hub with numerous galleries, art institutions and artist studios. It is exactly the same as how the art county of Arles was founded 40 years ago. Later on, many world-famous photographers grew out of Arles. I see a promising future for young Chinese artists here,” Hebel says.

Through major Chinese art events like the Pingyao photography festival in 2000 and the Dashanzi Art Festival in 2003, Hébel says he has “witnessed a marked development in Chinese art photography.” Photo Spring, going on through June 30, is the first in three photography events planned by French and Chinese organizers.

Caochangdi, one of the city’s contemporary art hubs, differs from the more popular 798 Art District in that it is a suburban village that has attracted artists as opposed to a designated art district. It is also less commercialized, thus rent is more affordable to new or young artists.