Visitors pose in front of artworks at the 18th China International Photographic Art Exhibition (CIPAE), which is kicked off in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province, on August 3, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Shuangshuang

The 18th China International Photographic Art Exhibition (CIPAE) kicked off in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province, on Wednesday. Nearly 300 documentary and artistic works by photographers from all over the world are being displayed in a "non-theme" way.

Jointly held by the China Photographers Association (CPA) and the Wuxi local government, Wednesday's opening ceremony witnessed the attendance of both institutions as well as representative photographer of the exhibition Johann van der Walt, former president of the Photographic Society of South Africa.

The photo shows artwork from an Egyptian photographer at the 18th China International Photographic Art Exhibition (CIPAE), which is kicked off in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province, on August 3, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of Chen Wenwei

The exhibition began accepting submissions from around the world in November 2020, and in the end received 140,701 artworks from a total of 17,240 photographers from 120 countries.

After selection by 34 experts, a total of 294 works made it into the exhibition. 

The exhibition encompasses three units: "You and Me," "non-themed documentary" and "non-themed art."

"We use different color palettes to highlight different themes," Chen Xiaobo, curator of the exhibition, explained during the opening ceremony.

The main tone of the "non-themed art" area is the color yellow, while the "You and Me" section uses blues to represent hopes and dreams. The documentary maintains a neutral gray.

Li Qiufeng, publicity minister for the Wuxi government, at teh opening ceremony of the 18th China International Photographic Art Exhibition (CIPAE), which is kicked off in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province, on August 3, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Shuangshuang

"Photography is one of the most popular art forms and sees wide participation nowadays. The CIPAE is a prestigious international photography event and an important platform to promote exchange in photography art between China and other countries," said Li Qiufeng, publicity minister for the local government, said during the opening ceremony.

This exhibition "is unique compared to other exhibitions, as it not only attracts a lot of attention, but more importantly, its focus is on the artworks rather than competition. This has made the selection more important and meaningful," said Van der Walt.

Johann van der Walt, former president of the Photographic Society of South Africa, at teh opening ceremony of the 18th China International Photographic Art Exhibition (CIPAE), which is kicked off in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu Province, on August 3, 2022. Photo: Courtesy of Chen Liming

In addition to the 294 artworks, two other exhibitions, respectively presenting the wildlife of Brazil and views of modern Iran, can also be visited. 

Photographers from Brazil present their works on abundant topics such as documenting nature and the beauty of wild animals and local history.

The Iran exhibition presents to visitors the lives of the Iranian people today. The youthful vitality of young people and the country's natural scenery, customs and urban appearance are deftly shown in the photos on display. 

Global Times