RECONSTRUCTION exhibition in China
Jibaro Photos member Nelson Ramirez (Ludmila & Nelson) has some of his impressive work exhibited in the Shanghai Art Museum. The exposition, with pieces of contemporary photography is titled, “RECONSTRUCTION,” and was edited by Spanish curator Maria Cruz Alonso (Nine Art Space gallery).
The show, that also features works from German artists Kris Scholz and Corina Gertz and will run until September 19, 2020. In case you are nearby, here is the address:
B2, Shanghai International Convention Center
No. 2727 Binjiang Avenue (Binjiang Dadao)
China
All images © Liudmila & Nelson
Background
I have been flying to China for at least ten years, once every year even though I never stay there for more than three weeks at a time. Initially, I started a long-term collaboration with PIP (Pingyao International Photo Festival) and then the same followed with the CPA (Chinese Photographers Association). I cannot say that I have been all around in China given its massive geography, but I have been to the major cities such as Beijing or Shanghai, which is like time-traveling to the future, even for a European. At the same time, I have traveled to ancient cities like Pingyao that seem to be frozen in time from 600 years ago, or Danzhai in Guizhou, where I had the honor of being appointed “Rotating Mayor” of the city. In those few years, I started working with Nine Art Space Gallery in Shanghai, a small but promising gallery that brings together Chinese and western artists.
I first met María Cruz, honorary citizen of Shanghai in 2014, when I was part of a huge Cuban art exhibition at the Urban Planning Exhibition Center in Shanghai and she was one of the curators. From the get go, it was a unique experience to meet this charismatic and strong-willed woman — a Spanish art historian, curator, and writer, who along with her husband and writer Miguel Sazatornil, have become one of the most influential western couples in China in over 20 years.
There are no gray areas for a woman like Maria Cruz, it is either a love or hate relationship once you’ve met her. It was indeed a great surprise to see how well the chemistry worked out between her and my friend, the gallery owner Chloé Zhang. The two of them immediately hit it off and started planning exhibitions and projects. Right after the pandemic lockdown relaxed in Shanghai, they put together an exhibition at the Shanghai Art Museum titled, “RECONSTRUCTION Contemporary Photography Art” that combines the works of German artist-photographers Corina Gertz, Kriz Scholz, and my own (Liudmila & Nelson).
The show combines different approaches to photography and celebrates the return of the “art life” to Shanghai after the lockdown. The series comprises of traditional costume portraits made by Corina, in which she photographs the back of the models showing the exquisite work on fabric made by different cultures around the world, showcasing that in the end we are one race despite our differences. Then there are the abstract landscapes and textures captured by Scholz, who happens to be one of the German greats from the Düsseldorf School. Lastly, my series “Hotel Habana” and “Declassified documents for a history of Cuba” explore our relationship to the passing of time — past, present, and possible future, and how much do we know about our own history.
The works are all displayed in the museum located inside the Shanghai International Convention Center, not far from the Oriental Pearl, one of the most astonishing radio and television towers in the world that displays a glimpse of futuristic China.