The 2024 Lianzhou Foto, one of China's most influential photography festivals, officially commenced on December 19, 2024, and will run through till February 4, 2025, in Lianzhou, Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province.
A press conference for the festival was held in Guangzhou on December 5, extending a warm invitation to friends worldwide to join this grand celebration of visual art.
This year's Lianzhou Foto is themed "Looking Back & Forward," with a focus on two directions: nostalgia and site-specific creation. Transitioning from purely static images to dynamic visuals, the festival embraces various forms of visual art, such as video and AI-generated works, to highlight diversity and reimagine the future of photography.
The 2024 Lianzhou Foto News Conference held in Guangzhou on December 5 (Photo by Huang Ying).
Visitors viewing photographs at the 2023 Lianzhou Foto (Photo by Zeng Liangchao).
"This year, we will continue to empower the festival to ensure its exhibits are meaningful, engaging, and captivating," said Xiao Wenfeng, Vice President of the Xinhua News Agency Guangdong Branch.
During the 2023 Lianzhou Foto, the Xinhua News Agency Guangdong Branch collaborated with the Xinhuanet Guangdong Channel to form a converged media-based editorial team. They utilized converged media products such as image-contained texts, videos, and 5G live broadcasts to exemplify Lianzhou's practical efforts in integrating culture and tourism, demonstrating how the city promotes culture through tourism and vice versa.
Two renowned curators are in charge of the 2024 festival. The international chief curator is Ms. Nathalie Herschdorfer, the Director of the Photo Elysée and an art and photography historian. The domestic chief curator is Mr. Na Risong, Art Director of Inter Art Center/Gallery in Beijing. Together, they will present over 3,000 works by 311 photographers from 36 countries around the world (including China).
Lianzhou Foto serves as a platform for cultural exchange between Chinese and international photography (Photo by Zeng Liangchao).
During the festival, there will be both professional and open exhibition areas. The professional exhibition area, including the Master Exhibition, International Exhibition, and Domestic Professional Exhibition, will be set up at venues such as the Lianzhou Museum of Photography, the Old Granary, the former Second Shoe Factory, and the Liu Yuxi Cultural Square in Lianzhou. The open exhibition area will be arranged at the Lianzhou Library, Museum, Cultural Center, and the Huang Clan Ancestral Hall.
Meanwhile, three villages—Fengyang Village in Fengyang Town, Xitang Village in Dongpo Town, and Dong Village in Xian Town—will host rural exhibitions. In addition, from this year onward, Lianzhou will tour excellent works from the festival to Qingyuan, the Pearl River Delta, and other regions.
Notably, in honor of the 60th anniversary of China-France diplomatic relations, this year's festival specially planned a "French Photography Section". Another highlight is the "Africa Visual Section", focusing on works from developing countries. These designs aim to advocate respect for the diversity of world civilizations, fostering exchange, peaceful coexistence, and harmony between different civilizations.
This year's festival will also feature intangible cultural heritage performances, host meet-and-greet sessions for art experts at home and abroad, and organize over ten photography art exchange meetings. It will also announce the winner of the festival's "Photography Award" and encourage participating photographers to donate at least 10 works to the Lianzhou Museum of Photography.
Venue Opening Hours
1. Open Exhibition: Held at the Lianzhou Cultural Center, Lianzhou Library, Lianzhou Museum, Lianzhou Art Space (Huang Clan Ancestral Hall), and the Old Granary (G-9 Hall). The exhibition runs from December 19, 2024, till February 4, 2025. Opening hours: daily from 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM.
2. Rural Extension Exhibition: Held in Xitang Village of Dongbi Town, Fengyang Village of Fengyang Town, and Dong Village of Xianzhai Town. The exhibition runs from December 19, 2024, till February 4, 2025. Opening hours: daily from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
3. Professional Exhibition: Held at the Lianzhou Museum of Photography, Old Granary, and the former Second Shoe Factory. The exhibition runs from December 31, 2024, till February 4, 2025. Opening hours: daily from 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM.
Event Schedule
1. Theme Gala: 7:45 PM–9:00 PM, December 31, 2024, at Lianzhou Liu Yuxi Cultural Square.
2. Art Shop and other popular photo spots: Located at Lianzhou Museum of Photography, and the second floor of B Zone, Tourism & Commercial Street, Lianzhou First Avenue.
Editor | Yu Lulu, Jiang Chang, Huang Qini, James, Shen He
