Curated by Ying Kwok
Artists: Luke Ching, Cao Fei, Simon Faithfull, Mishka Henner, Lizzie King & Craig Tattersall, Thomson & Craighead, Sun Xun, Lu Yang and Liam Young
Taking the Leap is an exhibition of work selected from the University of Salford Art Collection by celebrated independent curator Ying Kwok. The exhibition will take place at PHOTOFAIRS, Shanghai.
Taking the Leap – a brave, risky or challenging move away from one’s comfort zone – is the theme for this exhibition. Curator Ying Kwok, an internationally celebrated Hong Kong independent curator, selected works by artists that are innovative and confident in their creative strategy and design. The theme also aligns with the University of Salford Art Collection’s own leap to diversify the Collection – particularly in relation to Chinese contemporary art and digital art.
For this inaugural exhibition in China we will be exhibiting our first co-commission with Cao Fei (Haze and Fog) and our latest co-commission with multimedia artist Lu Yang. Visitors will be greeted by a site-specific installation by Lu Yang, specially commissioned by the University to accompany a new, unique print The Great Adventure of Material World #1 by the same artist, that will be premiered at PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai before entering the University Art Collection. In a special screening room there will be the opportunity to view Cao Fei’s celebrated Haze and Fog , co-commissioned with the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art in 2013.
Taking the Leap demonstrates the strong partnerships between the university and arts organisations in the UK – including the installation by Luke Ching, originally co-commissioned for LOOK 17 with Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool, and four prints from Where the City Can’t See project by Liam Young, originally co-commissioned with the AND Festival in 2017. Other digital works include a video by Simon Faithfull, an animation by Sun Xun and lightboxes by Thomson and Craighead based on computer viruses. The collection also regularly works with artists in the North West of England, represented by a large photograph by Manchester based Mishka Henner and a collaborative work by University of Salford alumni Lizzie King working with Technical Demonstrator Craig Tattersall, commissioned in 2015.
Exhibition Dates: Friday 20 – Sunday 22 September 2019
Opening hours: Friday 12 – 6pm VIP Preview; Saturday 12 – 17pm and Sunday 11am – 6pm
Venue: PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, Shanghai Exhibition Center.
In addition to the presentation there will be an In Conversation event at 5pm on Saturday 21 September. Chaired by Ying Kwok the panel will include: Lindsay Taylor (University of Salford), Sarah Fisher (LOOK Photo Biennial/Open Eye Gallery), Lu Yang (artist, Shanghai) and Wu Chi-Tsung (artist, Taipei/New York). The discussion will look at the different aspects of commissioning artists for public collections.