Pingyao Int’l Photography Festival advocates diversity

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The 17th China Pingyao International Photography Festival (PIP) kicked off on Tuesday at the World Heritage listed Pingyao Ancient City in northern China’s Shanxi Province.

With the theme of “With Original Inspiration, For Brighter Future,” the one-week photography festival presents more than 16,000 photos by over 2,000 photographers from 23 countries and regions, and advocates diversity and professionalism within the art form.

Philippe Vermès, a 75-year-old French photographer and painter renowned for his black-and-white portraits, said at the opening ceremony that this was his first visit to China and that photography is a unifier which brings people from different countries with various cultural backgrounds together.

Philippe Vermès Photo

His solo exhibition, “Traditional Black and White Portraits,” is made of three series: Portraits of European Builders and Workmen at The European House of Photography, American Bikers and Their Bikes and Small Trades.

In the Curatorial unit, the exhibition “Folk life • Dialect - Images of Streets and Lanes by 13 Photographers,” curated by Chinese photographer Tang Haowu, depicts the scenery from the old streets and lanes in China’s traditional residential areas, describing the work as showing "a physical form of dialect."

Wu Lingyun Photo

Xu Chongde Photo

Elsewhere at the festival, institutions from both home and abroad are on display. The exhibition “Nordic Beauty” by Danish VIA University College showcases natural beauty in works from their most promising students.

VIA University College Photo

The annual PIP festival has ran for 17 years and was awarded “One of the Ten Most Internationally Influential Festivals and Events” by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) on November 29, 2005.

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency