XIAMEN.- Kicked off in Xiamen on 15 December, the ninth Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival announced that Gan Yingying (b.1990) & Zhou Yichen (b.1986) , Chinese curatorial duo, won the 2023 Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", and the Chinese artist Lahem (b.1984, birth name Luo Xin) won the 2023 "Jimei x Arles Discovery Award".

Gan Yingying and Zhou Yichen's The Via Combusta wins 2023 Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image". The curators receive RMB 100,000 and participate in a mentoring program. The cash prize is supported by the CHANEL fund and will help finalize the exhibition in 2024.

The jury: “The team has chosen a very important and current theme that has been experienced by the curators themselves but also by their community. The exhibition stands out because of its serious approach with actual in-person meetings with artists, and its creative exhibition layout and presentation.”

On December 16, 2023, during the opening of the shortlisted proposals exhibition for Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", members of the jury Cao Dan, Lisa Springer, and Carol Yinghua Lu specially invited the renowned art historian and instructor of Jimei x Arles Curation Masterclass, Wu Hong, along with Jiang Zaiming, a seasoned expert in the Chinese art market, collector, and contemporary art curator, to discuss the theme "Curatorial Practice and Intercultural Dialogue." Their dialogue explored the significance of curators within the entire art ecosystem, emphasizing curating as an artistic practice and even a social practice, and highlighting its cultural mobilization and societal shaping functions within the contemporary art mechanism from intercultural political and international perspectives.

Regarding the establishment of new connections between theoretical concepts and innovative working methods for image curators, Wu Hong pointed out the inadequate recognition of the importance of curators in society. Support for curators, such as the "Jimei x Arles Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image", remains rare. Curators must possess innovative awareness, emphasizing breakthroughs in the concepts, mechanisms, and functions of their work in exhibitions. This emphasis should aim to enhance people's understanding of art, facilitate art exchange and elevation, and drive the development of art. Nurturing curators is crucial, and beyond critics and theorists, the support of individuals from various fields, including artists, is indispensable. Such support will aid young curators in expanding their thinking and igniting creativity.

Over the past two years, the Jimei x Arles "Curatorial Award for Photography and Moving Image" has supported 10 curatorial teams, allowing them to engage in dialogues and exchanges with the public and media. The two previous winners Jiang Feiran (2021) and Wang Shuman (2022) have presented their curatorial exhibitions Unnamed River and The New Survivors to the public and subsequently visited Europe for a research trip. Additionally, 150 curators have had the opportunity to learn from international seasoned curators and engage in discussions with them through at the end of Master Courses.

Gan Yingying (b.1990) holds a Master’s degree from University for the Creative Arts, Rochester, U.K., specializing in photography. As an independent artist, she resides in Zhujiajiao, where she combines photography, installations, performance arts, and curation to explore the intricate relationship between identity, environment and power. Her creative approach involves self-exposure and confrontation with her surroundings, aiming to arouse the audience's attention, simulate discussions, and resonate on vital social issues. Gan Yingying "Gan Yingying received the Magnum Foundation's 2019 Photography Expanded Mentorship Program Award"and was a finalist for the 2018 Jimei x Arles-Madame Figaro Award. She also contributed to many art residency projects including the 2022 Art Field in Fuliang, and co-founded the Zhujiajiao artist platform, "BUJISM"(不急宇宙 WeChat platform).

Zhou Yichen (b.1986) graduated from Parsons School of Design in New York with a degree in Photography and Related Media. Currently based in Beijing, her performance-based work explores the dynamic between individual and collective memory and tries to figure out where she stands as an individual in society. Zhou Yichen’s work has been exhibited in museums, galleries, and photography festivals internationally. She co-founded the non-profit art organization MiA Collective Art, wearing dual hats as a curator and artist, orchestrating exhibitions and art-related initiatives.

On December 17, 2023, the Jimei x Arles Discovery Award ceremony was held at the Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Art Centre. Lahem (birth name: Luo Xin), nominated by curator Joanna Fu, won the 2023 award with his exhibition Modernity’s Fracture: The Odyssey of Returning Hometown. He received a 100,000 RMB prize (pre-tax) and an invitation to exhibit at the 2024 Rencontres d’Arles in France which was supported by the Premium Discovery Partner Xiaohongshu Photography. Additionally, artist Liu Guangli, nominated by curator Chen Min, received the 2023 “Jimei x Arles Special Jury Mention Award” for the exhibition Katabasis.

This year, the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, in collaboration with Xiaohongshu Photography as the “Premium Discovery Partner,” jointly launched the 2023 Jimei x Arles Discovery Award. Four curators were invited to nominate a total of eight Chinese photographers for participation and solo exhibitions. The award's sponsorship by Xiaohongshu Photography underscored its significance. Xiaohongshu’s Image Discovery Program remains committed to discovering and supporting high-caliber image creators, infusing more prospects into the evolution of photographic art.

The jury commended Lahem's creative endeavor, stating that amidst rapid societal changes, Lahem's work delves back into the homeland, utilizing pure photography to explore the intricately interwoven relationship between an individual's homeland and the city, memory, and identity. His work transcends personal experiences, abstracting the homeland into a universal concept symbolizing the land itself. He scrutinizes the inevitable cycles and connections between humanity and nature, life, and death. Through images brimming with primal force and exceptional expressive techniques, he seamlessly merges emotional complexity with flawless presentation, striking a direct chord with the audience.

The Jury include: Director of the Rencontres d’Arles, Co-director and Member of the Art Committee of the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, Christoph Wiesner; Founder of Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum, Lifelong Co-President of Jury of Prix de Photographie de l’Academia des Beaux Arts William Klein, Zhong Weixing; Co-founder and Director of DECK and Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF), Member of the Art Committee of the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, Gwen Lee; Co-founder and Co-director of Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, Co-director and Member of the Art Committee of the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, RongRong; Art Historian, Critic, and Curator, Wu Hung.

The Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, establishing the Jimei x Arles Discovery Award in 2015, endeavors to discover and elevate Chinese image artists onto the global platform. The grand prize recipient is awarded a pre-tax prize of 100,000 RMB and invited to present a solo exhibition at the upcoming Les Rencontres d’Arles in France, extending the new voice of Chinese photography worldwide. Previous laureates of the Jimei x Arles Discovery Award include Tan Chui Mui (2022), Wang Yimo (2021), Sim Chi Yin (2020), Yi Lian (2019), Lei Lei (2018), Feng Li (2017), Silin Liu (2016), and Zhu Lanqing (2015).