Alison Chen, In Great Grandmother’s Vest, 2023. Layered archival inkjet prints. Courtesy of the artist.
BJP heads to Jimei in China to find a festival bringing forward a vast programme dissecting immigration, family histories and new technology
Jimei lies on the east coast of China and for the last 10 years, it’s been home to a collaborative festival with Recontres d’Arles. This year’s Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival features 2000 artworks across the Three Shadows Photography Centre and Jimei Art Centre, focusing on bridging the gap between local culture and global artists. Running from 29 November 2024 to 12 January 2025, it celebrates its decade-long journey with an expansive program of 25 exhibitions, an ambitious curatorial seminar, and a renewed focus on integrating local culture with global artistic dialogue.
There was a special focus on artists from China this year as well as emerging diasporic artists. And curation was a space for play, with all eyes on the Jimei x Arles Curatorial Award for Photography established in partnership with Chanel, which runs alongside the Jimei x Arles Discovery Award, and the Portfolio Review Award.
The festival’s origins lie in a partnership between Xiamen’s Jimei District and France’s Rencontres d’Arles. Since being established in 2015, Jimei × Arles has showcased over 700 artists and held more than 300 exhibitions, drawing over 500,000 visitors. Co-founder RongRong, a seminal figure in contemporary Chinese photography, reflects on its evolution, telling BJP, “We have always hoped for photography to connect with the life and local culture of Jimei’s traditional area, Xiamen, and its surroundings.” This year’s Parallel Exhibitions strengthened that vision, expanding exhibitions from Jimei to encompass Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, and beyond. Through photography works, the audience can delve deeply into the lifestyle and customs of Minnan and Hokkien, gaining unexpected surprises,” continues RongRong.
“[The festival] will probably change the future of photography in China for the next decade”
– Christoph Wiesner, Director of Recontres d’Arles
Jimei is on the coast of Fujian, southern China, and RongRong hopes that Jimei x Arles can “start locally and reach out to Southeast Asia, having close interactions with photographers from Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asian countries, creating a festival with Asian characteristics”.
But to date, one of Jimei × Arles’ hallmarks is its commitment to fostering emerging talent. The Discovery Award, co-initiated with Xiaohongshu Photography, showcases rising photographers with diverse global backgrounds. This year’s finalists included Jia Yu, whose haunting series Strangers contemplates the alienation of modern urban life, and Ivy Ma’s Bird of Shape, a delicate exploration of memory through reimagined visual fragments. The award’s winner receives RMB 100,000 and an exhibition at the next Rencontres d’Arles – a chance to elevate Chinese photographers to international prominence.
Christoph Wiesner, director of Rencontres d’Arles and a key figure in this year’s curatorial jury at Jimei, emphasises the rising global relevance of personal storytelling in photography. He tells me that many proposals in the Discovery Award reflect personal and historical narratives, exploring identity, migration, and environmental concerns. “I could make the same reflection on the Curatorial [Award], because I was really impressed about the quality of the proposals,” Wiesner continues.
From left to right: Li Xiaoliang, Qinghai, 2023; Li Xiaoliang, Tibet, 2024. From the series New Houses. Courtesy of the artist.
From left to right: The One That Left [La que se Fue]; Back Again [Volver Volver]; Traveling Cloud [Nube Viajera]; from the series Journey to the Center, 2021 © Cristina De Middel / Magnum Photos
Ghost Dance, curated by Starry Chen and Sylvia Tan, plays with the archive as a ‘ghost medium’ to interrogate the dissociative nature of being part of a diaspora, for example, begging us to ask what migration does to a sense of self. Similarly, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, curated by Yuting Huang and Zhejun Gao, seeks to uncover the forbidden feelings of migrants in labour contexts. The project attempts to blur the lines between history and fiction through multimedia, exposing the small love stories that bloom from migration.
But it was Metal Odyssey that took home the prize: curated by Yi-Ning Lin and Chia-Shin Yang, the exhibition explores the body as an archival space holding memories of medical procedures, physical pain and notions around care-giving. “I think the Curatorial [Award and its seminar are] a great way to invest in the future of curation in China and position Chinese curators to be active participants in world discourse,” says Andrew Maerkle, the editorial director of Art Week Tokyo.
Wiesner, whilst commenting on the growing focus on self-biographical projects and environmental issues, observed a notable gap in references to Chinese philosophy and history among younger photographers, attributing this to challenges in discussing certain topics within China and the obstacles of censorship.
Silke Schmickl, the Chanel lead curator for moving image at Hong Kong’s M+ Museum, hosted the curatorial masterclass during the festival: “it was great to see how the brand [Chanel’s] commitment to arts education and the empowerment of the next generation of makers generated such an energising atmosphere. I was truly impressed by the talent and dedication of these young curators,” she continues. “Their bold perspectives reflect the evolving landscape of photography in China.”
Travelling from Arles, Cristina De Middel’s Journey to the Center tackled themes of Central American migration through Mexico to North America. Meanwhile, themes of AI took centre stage, with Bruce Eesly’s New Farmer and An Electronic Legacy by Francois Bellabas. The other two exhibitions on display – Everyday Baroque by Rajesh Vora and Raising the Dust by Coline Jourdan – complement themes of pollution running throughout many Chinese photography projects, and the surrealist photographs on display in Xiaohongshu Inspiring Moments Exhibition: The Unconscious Eyes, which features six Chinese artists.
A defining characteristic of this tenth edition is its deep engagement with local heritage. The Isles Project, an ambitious initiative merging photography with urban exploration, mapped routes through Xiamen and neighbouring cities. RongRong highlighted this synergy between photography and place. This theme of localised connection was central to the festival’s approach: “We aim to root photography deeply in the everyday life and culture of the region,” he emphasises.
The Greetings from Asia section, for example, paid tribute to Japan’s Masahisa Fukase, a luminary of 20th-century photography. Co-curated by Tomo Kosuge and Yan Qi, the retrospective journeyed through Fukase’s artistic legacy, from the iconic Ravens to lesser-known experimental works. Meanwhile, Outer Regard spotlighted Luo Bonian, a pioneering figure of China’s Republic-era photography, revealing his fusion of pictorialist elegance and avant-garde innovation.
Behind the festival’s exhibitions lies a dynamic team blending experience and youthful energy. RongRong candidly acknowledged the learning curve: “I deeply felt my own knowledge was not enough at times, but I am fortunate to work with a dedicated, vibrant team that collaborates and learns together.” Wiesner also acknowledged the importance of resilience and partnerships. “Even amidst challenges like censorship, the visibility of art within China remains vital.” He highlighted the festival as an essential “open door” for cultural exchange within China.
Looking ahead, Jimei × Arles aspires to deepen its role as a link between East and West. With plans to broaden its international reach and further embed itself into Xiamen’s cultural landscape, its next decade promises to be as transformative as its first; as Wiesner says, the festival “will probably change the future of photography in China for the next decade.” And in this, he echoes Schmickl, who observes that “the energy and creativity here are boundless. This festival is shaping the future of photography in China and beyond.”
