ZHAO QIAN
05.13.1990
Zhao Qian, born in 1990 in Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China, obtained his Master of Fine Arts degree from the California College of the Arts in 2018 and currently lives and works in Shanghai. Zhao focuses on the fluid imagery of animals, the mechanics of games, simulated behaviors, and the translational function of images.
His solo exhibitions have been held at the Lianzhou Museum of Photography, Jimei-Arles International Photography Festival, Houston Center for Photography, Gene Gallery, Inner Flow Gallery, and Filter Space in Chicago.
His work has been widely exhibited at institutions such as the UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Three Shadows Photography Art Centre, K11 Art Foundation, China Academy of Art Museum, A4 Art Museum, Zhejiang Art Museum, Sichuan Art Museum, Today Art Museum, Rashford-Hanham Castle in Ireland, Kala Art Institute, the French Pavilion in Croatia, Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, and the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.
His work has also been showcased at international festivals including the Format Photography Festival in the UK, Unseen Photography Festival in the Netherlands, Singapore International Photography Festival, Athens Photo Festival, Copenhagen Photo Festival, Lodz International Film Festival, Photo Shanghai Art Fair, Art Xiamen, and Art Beijing.
Zhao Qian has received the Houston Center for Photography Annual Photography Award (2019), was a finalist for the Huayu Youth Award (2020), and was a finalist for the Jimei-Arles Discovery Award (2022). He has also received academic scholarships to participate in artist residency programs at locations including the Swatch Peace Hotel, A4 Art Museum, Points Center for Contemporary Art, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Organhaus art Space, Vermont Arts Center, Kala Art Institute, and Cow House Studio.
Education:
2018
MFA, California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA, USA
Solo Exhibitions:
2024
"No se", Gene Gallery, Shanghai, China
"Hi, Tail", Inner Flow Gallery, Beijing, China
"Runny Bunny Bunny Runny", Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, Milwaukee, USA
2022
"Paper, Light Dot and Conch", Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, Xiamen, China
2021
"Pic of Pig", Filter Space, Chicago, USA
2019
"A Field Guide", Lianzhou Museum of Photography, Lianzhou, China
"A Field Guide", Houston Center for Photography, Houston, USA
2016
"Offcut, The Edge", Reminders Photography Stronghold Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2024
"Night Pieces”, Three Shadows Photography Art Centrer, Xiamen, China
"What happened after Nora left?", United Art Center, Beijing, China
"Creeps and Butterflies", The Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
"Art Gallery‘s Eye", Sichuan Art Museum, Chengdu, China
2023
"The Photographic Version of Childhood", Being Art Museum, Shanghai, China
"The Gods of Small Things", Don Gallery, Shanghai, China
"Runoff: Art and Education Arena", Yuan Art Museum, Chongqing, China
2022
"Incredible Action", A4 Art Museum, Chengdu, China
2021
"Play Under the Table", Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
"Site of Transitivity", 69Campus Art Center, Beijing, China
"Instance Zone", Instance, Shanghai, China
"Control", Format International Photography Festival, Derby, UK
2020
"A Long Hello", UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
"Hesitant Images", Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, Croatia
"Zoo No.1", Points Center for Contemporary Art, Kunshan, China
"Home-coming Islet", Yuan Museum, Chongqing, China
"The Farm", K11 Art Foundation, Shenyang, China
2019
"Hahnemühle FineArt", PHOTOFAIRS | Shanghai, Shanghai, China
"Off The Shore", M Art Center, Shanghai, China
"Where We Meet", Art Beijing Fair, Beijing, China
"Chinese Contemporary Photobooks: Visual Narrative in Paper and Beyond", China Academy of Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
"Disappearing Archive", Mocube Gallery, Beijing, China
2018
"Atlas of Forms", Soft Power Palace Festival, Stuttgart, Germany
"Rifts in Silence", M Art Center, Shanghai, China
"CCA MFA Thesis Exhibition", Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco, USA
2017
"Top 20 Chinese Contemporary Photography Exhibition", Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
"Annual Juried Exhibition", Baxter St at CCNY, NY, USA
"Found & Lost", Float. Gallery, Athens, Greece
"Labs New Artists", Red Hook Labs Gallery, NY, USA
"How to Flatten a Mountain", Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin, Ireland
"Art and Crime", Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, CA, USA
2016
"Beneath Metropolis", Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, San Antonio, USA
"The Artists' Annual Show", Kala Art Institute, Berkeley, USA
"SIPF OPEN CALL SHOWCASE", Singapore International Photography Festival, Singapore
"Revelations", Organ Vida – International Photography Festival, French Pavilion, Zagreb, Croatia
"Temporarily Lost", Athens Photo Festival, Greece
"Censored", Museumsbygningen, Copenhagen Photo Festival, Denmark
"Road Trips", FOTOFESTIWAL – International Festival of Photography in Lodz, Poland
"Portfolio 2016", APG Gallery, Atlanta, USA
2015
"Currents", PhotoNOLA, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, USA
"Center Forward", The Center For Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, USA
"Mt Figure", Unseen Photo Fair, Amsterdam, Holland
"How Many Hamlets?" Five Young Artist Exhibition, Dalian Art Museum, Dalian, China
"Foreboding", SANS Gallery, Oslo, Norway
"Heat" 2015 Annual Juried Exhibition, SF Camerawork Gallery, San Francisco, USA
"Undiscovered Territory", APG Gallery, Atlanta, USA
"landscape", The Center For Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins, USA
2014
"BEYOND THE CORNER OF THE EYE", Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, USA
2013
"Nominated Caesar Art Rising Star", Today Art Museum, Beijing, China
Artist Residency:
2023
Organhaus Art Space, Artist Residency and Grant, Chongqing, China
2022
A4 Art Museum, Artist Residency and Grant, Chengdu, China
2021
Swatch Art Peace Hotel, Artist Residency and Grant, Shanghai, China
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Artist Residency and Grant, Shenzhen, China
2020
Points Center for Contemporary Art, Artist Residency and Grant, Kunshan, China
2017
The Cow House Studio, Artist Residency and Grant, Wexford, Ireland
Vermont Studio Center, Artist Residency and Fellowship, Vermont, USA
2016
Kala Art Institute, Artist Residency, Berkeley, CA, USA
Awards and Grants:
2022
Jimei x Arles Discovery Award, Finalist, Xiamen, Beijing, China
2020
Huayu Youth Award, Finalist, Beijing, China
2019
Houston Center for Photography Annual Photography Award, Houston, USA
2017-2018
Graduate Chair Award, California College of the Arts, USA
2017
Top 20 Chinese Contemporary Photographer, Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
Breakthrough Awards Runner-up, British Journal of Photography, UK
2015
RPS Grant, Reminders Photography Stronghold, Tokyo, Japan
Collections:
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China
Zhejiang Art Museum, Hangzhou, China
Pier 24 Photography, San Francisco, USA
Stanford University, Stanford, USA
PhotoIreland Foundation, Dublin, Ireland