REN Haihua, 21, considers himself lucky to be able to exhibit his pictures in front of Shanghai Theater Academy. And he has Rising Artist’s Works (R.A.W!) Land week to thank for it.
As part of the Shanghai International Arts Festival, R.A.W! is a project that supports young Chinese artists under the age of 45. It will stage 14 performances and exhibitions in different theaters and venues across the city from October 18 to October 25.
The youngsters are picked by an elite panel which include famous names like composer and conductor Tan Dun, theater directors Li Liuyi and Tian Qinxin, and dancer and choreographer Yang Liping among others.
“The commissioned artists get financial support from R.A.W! Their shows during the festival are attended by art organization directors, agents, producers and critics from home and abroad,” said Yang Yijun, executive producer of Rising Artist’s Works.
“I feel lucky and happy to be a part of the R.A.W! Land week and present a personal exhibition,” the 21-year-old Ren told Shanghai Daily yesterday.
According to Ren, the pictures were taken in New York City where he is studying. The photographs, featuring strangers and people in the city, has been captioned in a poetic language by one of his schoolmates.
Ren started learning photography about four years ago. He intends to look for a job as a fashion photographer when he graduates in June next year. R.A.W! helped him with the venue while also paying him 1,000 yuan (US$157.5) for posters and other publicity materials.
“R.A.W! gives youngsters like me a platform to show off my works and make friends. To me to be able to look for and appreciate art in daily life is what art is all about,” Ren said.
Qiu Jirong and Gong Zhonghui were also among the lucky ones to be recognized and commissioned by Yang Liping. Together, they produced a dance piece “Ambush on all sides.”
Yang said R.A.W! brings young artists closer to experts in their areas of work and creates chances for future development.
A total of 16 works by commissioned artists has been presented to the domestic and international audiences at different art festivals since 2013.
