Robert van der Hilst

In the early ‘90s, Shanghai was going through a change like never before, some of the countless new things that transformed the city's landscape, people's lives, and even their relationships with one another. Amidst the changing urban landscape mixed with the old and the new, Robert van der Hilst captured the group portraits of people in different spaces of Shanghai at that particular time though his lens.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Fotografiska Shanghai is honored to present Robert van der Hilst’s exhibition ‘Shanghai: Time & Timeless 1990-1993’ from 9th August to 3rd November 2024. The exhibition is curated by independent curator and writer Shi Hantao, with special support of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

‘Shanghai: Time & Timeless 1990-1993’ presents the photographs taken during Robert van der Hilst’s several visits to Shanghai between 1990 and 1993. In these images, the Oriental Pearl Tower in Lujiazui had just broken ground, young as bamboo shoot, the commercial skyscrapers began to stand in solitude among the dense low-rise shikumen and shantytowns. Some streets had been ripped open for revamp while the old Nanjing Road waited for its modern-day remodeling. Foot traffic and car traffic intertwined, passing by huge hand-painted posters on the roadsides depicting people’s hopes for a better life.

Under his lens, Shanghai’s old and new faces coexist, with each photograph seemingly narrating tales from the past. Shanghai in the 1990s boasted the bustling scenes of an international metropolis while retaining the vestiges of time in its old districts. The exhibition bears witness to Shanghai’s development and transformation amidst the opportunities of the times, preserving the snapshots of the urban landscape and moments of local citizen’s life during its economic leap and development takeoff. It vividly brings back to life an era filled with change and vitality.

Robert van der Hilst did not allow himself to be confined to the paradigm of a particular photographic style. Rather, he observed the world with a constant curiosity and touched the shutter whenever he felt pleased. Robert van der Hilst says of himself to be a photographer of the world, “The world is my studio. I am a photographer of humanity.” So, he captures human’s emotion and social interactions as well as behaviors and reactions in various scenarios in their daily lives, while perceiving the colors and realistic expression techniques in his works. And these make his works with the quality of quotidian and fragmented.

As a foreign photographer, his "otherness" adds objectivity and curiosity to his work, offering a new perspective on the familiar scenes. This viewpoint is evident in his focus on the ordinary yet paradoxically rich and culturally profound aspects of daily life.

This exhibition is not only a visual journey through time but also a cultural odyssey, where visitors, while admiring old photographs and reminiscing about changes, can also savor the historical depth and culture of Shanghai. With the development of the times, Shanghai has experienced huge changes, but no matter how it changes, those precious moments are forever fixed in the history of Shanghai, becoming eternal memories of the city.

The exhibition will last for nearly three months, until 3rd November 2024, during which multiple programs and events around Shanghai in the 1990s will be held. In addition to Mandarin and English audio guides, the exhibition will also offer Shanghainese audio guide for the first time, recorded by Jasmine Pang, Founder of Branding Shanghai, Cultural Advisor of TV series ‘Blossoms Shanghai’.

ABOUT ARTIST

ROBERT VAN DER HILST is a distinguished Dutch photographer who has traveled extensively across the globe to capture captivating photographic imagery. Over the course of his illustrious career, he has traversed various regions, including Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, and Asia, among others. Van der Hilst has been a guest photographer for a number of renowned publications, such as VOGUE, Stem, Marie Claire, GEO, ELLE, Paris Match, Sunday Times and Figaro. His notable published collections include ‘Shanghai 1990-93’, ‘Cuban Interiors’, ‘Chinese Interiors’, ‘Timeless World’, and ‘Chongqing Interiors’. In the early preparation of the TV series ‘Blossoms Shanghai’, Robert van der Hilst provided valuable photos and materials as special historical image support for the crew.

ABOUT CURATOR

SHI HANTAO, independent curator and writer. MA in ‘Arts Administration and Policy’ at the SAIC. Executive Director of the Annual Report of Chinese Contemporary Photography and Video Arts at Shanghai Doland Museum of Modern Art. Shi has curated and organized exhibitions and public programs in various art organizations and projects during last two decades, such as Shanghai Biennale, Shanghai Project, Ray Art Center, Chronus Art Center, Rockbund Art Museum. His writing and translation work covers the fields of photography, contemporary art and institutional studies.