The third edition of the 2016 Shanghai Photofairs was marked by a certain maturity. To illustrate it, here is an interview with Alexander Montague-Sparey, its artistic director.
This is the third edition of this show. How do you see the change compared to previous years?
AMS: From the beginning, we wanted to make an international exhibition but deeply rooted in China. This year, we have further strengthened the presence of the Asian photography. Of the 50 participating galleries, 35 were from Asia: Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong … Europe is still well represented, including Britain, Germany and France. In three years, Photofairs Shanghai has emerged in China as the platform of international contemporary photography.
How would you describe your artistic direction?
AMS: It is a very “curated” fair. The focus is on contemporary photography and living artists. The “Connected” section that was open for the first time gave voice to multimedia artists, videographers and photographers. The “Platform Galleries” reserved for galleries exhibiting for the first time in China provided an opportunity for young galleries to showcase the work of their artists. The “Insight” section had a museum vocation. It cringed together works entrusted by artists or galleries and included in major international collections.
Photo Fairs Shanghai 2016 was held from September 9 to 11 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center in Shanghai, China.
