Exhibition Name: "10th Wucheng Wuxiang Photography Annual Exhibition"

Exhibition period: October 13th to October 18th, 2015

Exhibition location: Hall C and Hall C on the first floor of Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum

Organizers: Shenzhen Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen Professional Photography Association

 Ten years ago, when looking back at the history of Shenzhen, such as organizing exhibitions on its development or writing books to describe urban evolution, we were troubled by the lack of systematic visual references. Ten years ago, a group of excellent photographers had emerged in Shenzhen, and documentary photography was flourishing, attracting the attention of the national photography industry. However, Shenzhen has not yet established a dedicated exhibition competition or professional mechanism to gather and encourage them. It is in this historical context that the "Wucheng Wuxiang" photography annual exhibition emerged.

This annual exhibition has set a clear goal from the beginning: to enrich Shenzhen's visual literature and establish a "visual archive" for the city. At the same time, a call was issued: "Record life in Shenzhen, tell stories about Shenzhen, feel the atmosphere of Shenzhen, and convey the mood of Shenzhen." As the name "Wucheng Wuxiang" suggests, it calls for concern for the living environment and status of oneself, and is committed to promoting the relationship between photography, the local community, and the author themselves. Fortunately, since its second year of creation, this photography exhibition has received funding from the Shenzhen Cultural Development Fund, which has enabled it to continue for a long time.

An exhibition with such a positioning and scale is easy to hold once, not easy to hold every year, and even more difficult to hold for ten years. Ten years of hard work are extraordinary, but the results are remarkable and gratifying. It not only accumulates a valuable collection of chronicle like image literature for cities, but also discovers and recommends a group of photography newcomers, and enables people to have a deeper understanding and recognition of the value of documentary photography. The improvement of understanding of documentary photography brings about a deepening of people's understanding of society and themselves.

There are a total of 9 sets of works at this year's exhibition, all of which are documentary. "Qianhai" and "Ping An Building" focus on the new heights and future of Shenzhen. Da Chong and Er Xian Guan, focusing on the replacement and evolution of old and new in Shenzhen. The Shekou Fishing Port focuses on the contradictions in development, demonstrating a cautious reflection on history. "In the Colorful Order" reflects contemporary daily humanities in the style of street photography. "Anti Japanese War Veterans" has become a hot topic this year due to the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Anti Japanese War. Maker Deng Bo tells the ordinary entrepreneurial story of a college student. The Grassland Music Festival tells the passionate story of bands from various countries interacting with students on the campus of Shenzhen University during the Cultural Expo. These works allow us to view Shenzhen from multiple perspectives this year, and also show us the dimensions of documentary photography in Shenzhen this year. Among them, the high-altitude shooting of Ping An Building and the continuous shooting of Qianhai and Dachong for many years demonstrate the photographer's persistent spirit of pursuing excellence, which is admirable. The direction of documentary photography and the spirit of photographers reflected in this year's work is exactly what the "Wucheng Wuxiang" annual exhibition has always advocated.

2015 marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, and the "Wucheng Wuxiang" Photography Annual Exhibition has been fortunate enough to accompany us for ten years. Thank you to this young and vibrant city, and to all the friends in the photography industry who have come with us. Let's walk hand in hand into the next decade and move towards the future. Let us continue to work hard in the kingdom of photography, to preserve our city and hometown, as well as our own fleeting years.