We live in a dynamic and unpredictable world.  Through the physical and spiritual journeys of migration and travel, new scenes and realities are formed. PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai launches its first online show, Wanderings, featuring nearly 30 photographs and videos, and over 20 photography publications from past exhibitors. The aim of the exhibition is to take a wander, to roam, or even find exile across physical/imaginary spaces through the artists’ creative visions.

The exhibition comprises images from the streets of Paris three decades ago (Paris, photography by Daidō Moriyama), to the memory of Jukkenzaka in Otaru from the last century (Dead End: Jukkenzaka [Temiya/Otaru-city], publication by Yoshitaka Taniguchi); from the examination of Venice as an important maritime hub in Europe; to commissions on ports and harbour cities in China and Japan (The Port and the Image, publication program, edited by He Yining). From Robert Zhao Renhui’s research on arctic glaciers and polar activities; to Sibylle Eimermacher’s exploration of the Scandinavian rocky landscapes; from the unique documentation of deserts, gardens of ruins and no man’s lands by Luo Dan, Guo Guozhu and Scarlett Hooft Graafland, to the multi-angle studies of dormant cities, strange lands and things gone forever in The Landscape, Off Season, and Hibernation… The online exhibition attempts to challenge certain single perspectives and sees the distance/destination as an extension of experience.

Wanderings is a new perspective on sensation and imagination. We can see how Chen Wei uses stage installations to transform daily life into a temporary theatre; Sebastião Salgado and Jiang Pengyi render nature into incredible spectacles with their complex yet delicate tones; Yan Ming, Shen Siyuan and Wang Yishu seek individuality and spirituality in the world of culture and literature; through their lyrical lenses, Zhang Kechun and Hiroshi Masuko write the contemporary continuations of the Yellow River and Mount Fuji, the origins of two oriental civilizations; and, by demonstrating visual reversals, Rinko Kawauchi and Xu Xiaoxiao rescue folklore/folkway from exoticism, thus rebuilding the relationship between people and land.

In addition, the exhibition presents four videos by Chen Xiaoyun, Claudia Hart and Wang Bing respectively. These works invite the audience to experience the dizziness of spinning (Fly with You); wander in virtual spaces where bodies are out of control (Dark kNight); explore the interweb full of commercial symbols (Inside the Flower Matrix), and discover the small shack of a Southwest Chinese family (Father and Sons).

Wanderings is now live and available until August 28. Explore the show online, and click to enquire about buying work or to learn more. Meanwhile, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai will collaborate with artists and exhibitors to curate further exciting online/offline events in the coming months. Stay tuned!