At 10:00 am on June 28, 2025, the first exhibition of the collection of 100 famous photographers, Zhu Xianmin's "The People 1966-1976", hosted by the Entrepreneur Photography Association (Shenzhen) and executed by 5A1 Art Space, was held as scheduled. Photographer Zhu Xianmin was present, and many heavyweight guests, including Wang Chen, Vice Chairman of the China Photographers Association/Chairman of the Entrepreneur Photography Association (Shenzhen), Li Shufeng, Vice Chairman of the China Photographers Association/Chairman of the China Art Photography Society, Zhao Qing, Vice Chairman of the Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Chairman of the Shenzhen Photographers Association, Wu Jianbin, President of 5A1 Art Space, and Chun Wai, Art Director, also came to the scene to congratulate the exhibition.
The exhibition was hosted by David Lai, founder of 5A1 Art Space
Mr. Wang Chen, Vice Chairman of the China Photographers Association, delivered a speech
Mr. Li Shufeng, Vice Chairman of the China Photographers Association, delivered a speech
Mr. Zhao Qing, Vice Chairman of Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles, delivered a speech
Mr. Zhu Xianmin is a master of photography, but he is not arrogant at all. He is now over 80 years old, but still energetic. He first appreciated the guests for their strong support for the exhibition, and then talked about his original intention of taking photos. "My original intention of taking photos is to record the real moment. The things recorded in photographs will not be erased with time...Through the recording of images, the truth can be passed down from generation to generation." Regarding the works exhibited this time, Zhu Xianmin said: "In that special period, many photos were staged, but this does not mean that these photos are not real. On the contrary, this is precisely another kind of reality."
The author of this exhibition, Mr. Zhu Xianmin, gave a speech
As the curator, Professor Wu Jianbin also expressed his feelings about this exhibition. "These exhibited photos not only bring me the shock of seeing the living conditions of the people during the special period, but also my own personal feelings. I myself have experienced that era, and Mr. Zhu Xianmin used images to preserve the reality of it. This sense of interweaving time and space moved me." He also highly affirmed the artistic value of these works, which is exactly the original intention of the establishment of 5A1 Art Space - using images as a boat to ferry the stars of art.
Mr. Wu Jianbin, President of 5A1 Art Space, delivered a speech
After the speech, Mr. Chun Wai personally served as the tour guide. As a senior photographer and curator, Mr. Chun's interpretation of each work is very insightful. For example, for the work "Young intellectuals from Beijing who went to the countryside in Changling County plant trees together under the leadership of the chairman of the Poverty Alleviation Association", he analyzed from the perspective of photography technology why it was taken at a specific angle at that time. "This is to reflect the youth's vigor and hope."
On-site tour by Mr. Chun Wai, Artistic Director of 5A1 Art Space
As for the work "A Herdsman Family in a Mongolian Yurt", he was able to find an analytical angle from the historical context. "If you only look at the lower half of the composition, it is just an image depicting a herdsman family in a Mongolian yurt enjoying themselves. But in a prominent position in the upper half, there is a photo of Chairman Mao speaking at the 9th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. This is the cleverness. When you look at this photo, you will inadvertently project your attention onto this photo of Chairman Mao, which immediately reminds you of the historical era in which this photo was taken. This is the charm of documentary images."
On-site tour by Mr. Chun Wai, Artistic Director of 5A1 Art Space
Mr. Chun Wai also has a lot of experience in the connection between different works. "Not in Red Makeup, but in Arms" shows the heroic performance of a group of female actors in the art troupe, while "Female Educated Youth Who Went to the Countryside Became a Coach Driver" shows, as the name suggests, a female educated youth who went to the countryside drove a horse-drawn carriage. Mr. Chun analyzed, "It seems that there is no specific connection between these two works, but in fact it is not. The former was obviously shot in a scene with artificial light, which contrasts with the 'red makeup' and 'actors' the latter is obviously under natural light, and the sunlight shines on the face of the subject, symbolizing the simplicity of 'going to the countryside' and the hope of 'coach drivers' for life. These two photos clearly show the contemporary thought of 'women can hold up half the sky'. If they are linked together, people can feel the distinct characteristics of the times."
On-site tour by Mr. Chun Wai, Artistic Director of 5A1 Art Space
After the guided tour, the guests took their seats and a symposium on photography art and contemporary history began. The guests talked about the art and collection value of contemporary photography and the international dissemination of Chinese photography, and analyzed the differences and connotations between domestic photography works and foreign works of the same field. Mr. Zhu Xianmin also talked about the great influence of his hometown on his photography career. "I am full of love for the people of my hometown and the Chinese nation. This love prompted me to find the daily life of the people who silently contribute to the country, because I believe that even under the macro historical narrative, the real life of the people needs to be recorded. ... When we see the photos of these people who grew up by the Yellow River, we can feel a breath of our fathers hovering in our hearts. It turns out that these people lived their lives in that way when the material was not rich. The vicissitudes of history and the changes of the times, when they are embodied in specific characters, can show the true role of documentary photography - recording, but not only recording, but also sincere expression."
The symposium
With the thunderous applause of the audience, the symposium came to an end. While the guests freely communicated and enjoyed tea breaks, they also expressed their desire to collect many of Mr. Zhu Xianmin's works. 5A1 Art Space will continue to exhibit Mr. Zhu Xianmin's 1960s image series, and photography enthusiasts are welcome to collect them. In the near future, we will plan to exhibit more masterpieces of famous photographers, so please don't miss it. We hope to work side by side with more light chasers with handheld lenses to illuminate the soul deep in the works, and use this as a link to connect photography art practitioners and institutions around the world and spread contemporary art to as many places as possible.
