From June 27 to December 10 the Weisman Museum at the University of Minnesota hosts the exhibition of photographic and video work from three themed projects in the Target Gallery.
2010 -11
Weiji Crisis = Opportunity
Weiji, an idiomatic term that might be considered a concept rather than something definable, implies that when encountering difficulties there are often many options one can take. The idea of a crisis, real or insinuated can often take us from our normal course and redirect our attention to alternate ideas, requiring us to rethink our assumptions and open our minds to new opportunities. As such, the students from the Schools of Photography at the Beijing Film Academy and the Art Department of the University of Minnesota have constructed visual analogies to the concept of Weiji or Crisis = Opportunity.
Transition-- 2011-12
Change --evolution --transform
We awaken each day to new circumstances, circumstances that require new understanding, tolerance, and awareness. The nature of existence is accommodating to change, and how we manage that change is what determines our success. The ability to use the accumulated knowledge that we have gained through experience, education, and training provide the ground upon which we stand, when this ground shifts, do we see this as a crisis or an opportunity?
Mirror/ Window-- 2012-14
Mirror/ Window is a topic with multiple possible interpretations -- viewing out to the larger world or turning inward to examine the self. In 1978 MOMA curator of photography John Szarkowski organized an exhibition with this title to explore emerging developments in contemporary American photographic Imaging. This exhibition uses the theme in a much more individual way with the Chinese and American students exploring their diverse visions for the future as well as how they see themselves in the world. Much of this work is positive and "upbeat" with little indication of the strife and anxiety so prevalent in the news.
residency.docx
