WAKING FROM HIBERNATION
SHAN FEIMING

15th March 2014 – 27 April 2014
Artist Reception: 15th March 2014, 16:00 – 18:00

M97 Gallery is pleased to present “Waking from Hibernation”, an exhibition of new large format photographs by Hangzhou-based artist Shan Feiming. The exhibition includes works from three of his most recent series: Jungle, Silent Distance and Waking from Hibernation. This is Shan Feiming’s first exhibition at M97.

Titled after the third period in the Chinese lunar calendar, 惊蛰 or JīngZhé, "Waking from Hibernation" is also referred to as the "awakening of insects" and marks the beginning of new life after the winter season. Shan finds inspiration in the natural world to give voice to his experiences and reflections.


The Waking from Hibernation (2012) photographs are hauntingly colorful images of wild vegetation and budding trees against the backdrop of a vibrant blue lake. His life and career in a state of flux at the time when these photographs were taken, the tangled branches are the confusion the artist needed to go through to arrive at the place of peace and stability he longed for.

In Silent Distance (2012-2013), standing in the courtyard during the funeral vigil for his grandmother, the excited flight of moths in a warm Spring night and their quiet retreat at the break of dawn remind the artist of life’s impermanence and the many relationships in his life who gradually grow old, eventually part ways, or wither away.

The Jungle (2010-2013) is a seven-meter long, five-panel installation photographed over the course of several months in the mountains of Southern Yunnan. Having just moved back to China after finishing his art studies in Germany and in the crossroads of a fresh new start, Shan confronts the viewer with the expansive darkness of an impenetrable forest. Much like the future, that spread of dark jungle is hiding infinite possibilities, and may as well be breeding countless unknown dangers.

About The Artist
Shan Feiming was born in Zhejiang province in 1978 and is a graduate of the Beijing Central Academy of Fine Art. He later completed photography studies at the Brunswick Art Institute in Germany. This is Shan Feiming’s first solo exhibition at M97.
About M97 Gallery

Exhibition URL: www.m97gallery.com/exhibitions/?title=SHAN_FEIMING_2014

RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE

FINANCIAL TIMES “Snapshot: ‘Waking from Hibernation’(2012) by Shan Feiming”— , 28th Feb, 2014
www.ft.com