Culture

Focus on landscapes for hotel's new photo exhibition

By Wang Wen (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-03-07 08:01

An exhibition of photographs taken by an Estonian photographer during a recent two-month tour of China has opened to the public in the rear lobby of the Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center.

As part of the Kempinski Arts Support Program, the exhibition will last until the end of March.

The program, which was established in 2009, sponsors two young artists every year, one in classical music and the other in the visual arts, to create works in countries far from their own culture.

"We want the audience to enjoy the work of a young artist from another land, from another culture, who would never have the chance to be here with this work without civic support," said Marylea van Daalean, director of the arts support program.

The program chose the two fields because there are no language or cultural barriers.

"Everyone can understand music and visual arts without language or explanation," said van Daalean.

Alexander Gronsky, a 31-year-old photographer, was selected this year and he chose China as his destination.

He traveled around four cities in China - Wuxi, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Beijing - taking more than 1,500 photographs. Ten of them are being exhibited in the five-star hotel in Beijing under the theme water and mountains.

"I chose the theme because the word landscape in Chinese consists of two simple words: mountain and water," said Gronsky.

Inspired by traditional Chinese paintings, there are some people in his photos, but all are small and hazy in appearance.

"I do not come close to people when I take photos," Gronsky said. "I want them to be just simply human beings."

The exhibition is the first time in China for both the Kempinski Arts Support Program and Gronsky. It is also his first exhibition outside Europe.

"I am curious about the viewers' reactions," Gronsky said. He is also a little nervous as the visual culture here is so different from what he is used to in Europe.

Todd Balazovic contributed to this story.