Group Exhibition

Photographic Geomancy: Image, Fieldwork, and the Poetics of Geography

Lin Shu, Shifan Pagoda (Liao Dynasties, Qing Dynasties), from the Pagoda Series, 2023, Inkjet print，Courtesy of the artist

Featuring the works of 20 artists working at the intersections of art, geography, geology, and geopolitics, this research-based exhibition reconstitutes visual narratives based on embodied experiences and knowledge.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Fotografiska Shanghai will present artists group exhibition Photographic Geomancy: Image, Fieldwork, and the Poetics of Geography, from June 27 to October 8, 2025, organized in collaboration with Guangdong Times Museum and curated by He Yining.

Zhang Wenxin, Eye of the Cavern, 2021，Archival Pigment Print，Courtesy of the artist

The exhibition used the metaphor of "geomancy" to demonstrate how artists use on-site geographical research to address complicated themes including aesthetics, culture, environment, identity, and geopolitics in Chinese geography.

Organized into multiple interconnected sections, which are based on the substance and issues explored by the artists in their work, the exhibition invites the audience to explore the mountains, rivers, and historical aspects of China, following the artists' journey, aiming to reinterpret the expansive Chinese landscape by combining visual art, geography, and history.

Zhu Yinghao, Xinxian County, Xinyang, 4th Feb 2023，from the series Imaging Across 1868 Rock Layers, Inkjet Print, Courtesy of the artist

The touring exhibition not only explores the profound connections between contemporary Chinese image-making practices and geographical and ecological discourses, but also underscores Fotografiska Shanghai’s vital role in fostering dialogue within Chinese contemporary photography and expanding the boundaries of visual expression.

Lyu Geer, Dam of Hydropower Station, Baihetan, from The Water of Yu series, 2021, Digital print, Courtesy of the artist

Participating Artists:

CHEN Xiaoyi, FENG Fangyu, HAN Qian, HE Zike, LI Yong, LIN Shu, LAU Wai, Xin LIU, LIUYujia, LYU Geer, REN Zeyuan, Taca SUI, Xiaoxiao XU, ZENG Han, ZHANG Beichen, ZHANGWenxin, Leah ZHANG, ZHENG Andong, ZHU Yinghao

Artists for Special Screening:

CHENG Xinhao, Mia YU

Curated by He Yining

ABOUT THE CURATOR

He Yining is a researcher and curator. She is the founder of the Floating Island: Journal ofPhotography and Visual Studies, and Starlight: Trends and Methods of Contemporary Art. Her written, edited, and co-authored publications include The Routledge Companion to Photography, Representation, and Social Justice, The Adobe of Anamnesis, The Routledge Companion to Photography and Visual Culture, The British Photography Classroom, and The Ports and Images series, among over twenty other works. Her doctoral research focuses on decolonial art practices in contemporary Chinese art, examining the connections between artists’ personal experiences, the legacies of semi-colonialism, and the decolonial discourse of the global turn. He Yining has curated exhibitions across Eurasia, including "Imaging the Future," "China Imagined," "BetweenMountains, Hills, and Lakes," "The Adobe of Anamnesis," and "Ports and Images" projects. She was a co-curator for the 8th Singapore International Photography Festival and the 3rd BeijingInternational Photography Biennial. She was the winner of the OCAT Research Center's inaugural2018 Research-based Exhibition Curatorial Plan and received a nomination for the 14th AAC ArtChina Curator of the Year Award.