Face · Image - When Chengdu Meets Europe

Exhibition duration: April 30th - May 29th, 2024

Location: Sanlian Taofen Bookstore (Kuanzhai Alley), Chengdu

Artists: Carsten Sand, Xiao Quan

Curator: Gong Yingchun

Organizers: Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Chengdu, German Consulate General in Chengdu, People's Government of Qingyang District

Organizer: Foreign Affairs Office of Qingyang District People's Government, Cultural Exchange

Cooperating party: Bolesner Pian

On the morning of April 30th, the weather was pleasant with clear skies and no rain as predicted by the previous day's weather forecast. Over a hundred special guests for the opening ceremony gathered at Sanlian Bookstore located in the iconic Kuanzhai Alley in Chengdu to attend the opening ceremony of the "Face - When Chengdu Meets Europe" exhibition, which was hosted by the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Chengdu, the German Consulate General in Chengdu, and the People's Government of Qingyang District, and organized by the Foreign Affairs Office of Qingyang District and Wanglai Culture. The guests attending the event included representatives from consulates of various countries, government representatives, representatives from business associations, representatives from technology and design enterprises, representatives from the cultural and art circles, scholars, media, and people from all walks of life. This exhibition was not only the second event of the "2024 Chengdu·European Cultural Season" and the first German-themed event, but also one of the commemorative activities for the 20th anniversary of the opening of the German Consulate General in Chengdu.

At the beginning of the opening ceremony, Mr. Aron Mir Haschemi, Consul General of Germany in Chengdu, stated in his speech: "Culture is the cornerstone of every society and civilization, weaving us into a collective identity structure, and cultural exchange brings people from different backgrounds and identities together. This photography exhibition provides us with a rare glimpse into the lives of people from various parts of Europe and corners of Chengdu. These narratives emphasize how important it is to understand each other's differences with respect and openness

 Jiang Bin, Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of Chengdu Municipal People's Government, said in his speech, "This exhibition will lead us into the outstanding works of German photographer Carsten Sander and Chinese photographer Xiao Quan, showcasing the customs and traditions of Chengdu and Europe through their lenses, experiencing the stories and emotions contained in people's faces under different cultural backgrounds, and promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning between China and Germany

 Dr. Gong Yingchun, the curator of the exhibition and co-founder of Communication Culture, stated in his speech that "a face is a mirror of the soul, as well as a mirror of the hometown and culture in which a person lives." [...] Carsten Sanders and Xiao Quan both chose to use concise and vivid portrait works as records of cities, countries, and eras. With their unique techniques and clever creativity, they not only allowed the audience to see the differences between different cultures, but also the commonalities between them. Communication Culture is honored to invite these two renowned artists to engage in a sustained cultural and artistic dialogue across time and space“

Teacher Xiao Quan is known as the "best portrait photographer in China". He spent ten years traveling across the north and south of the country, using his lens to capture the touching moments of various literary and artistic celebrities and ordinary people. In his speech, Teacher Xiao clarified his creative theme: "I want to use photography to tell the story of my relationship with history, cities, people, and the sky. Through the changes in people, I can see the changes in the country and the times

Former Singapore TV host Shehnaz and Chinese host Chloe jointly hosted the opening ceremony of this exhibition, wearing red dresses that match the exhibition poster.

 Coinciding with International Jazz Day on April 30th, this event specially invited the East West Collection Jazz Band led by former German Consul General in Guangzhou, Feng Martin, and Polish pianist Katarzyna Borek to perform multiple classic Chinese and foreign songs, including "Chasing the Moon with Colorful Clouds", "Jasmine Flower", Bach's "Concerto in D Minor", and Brahms' "Valse op.39 no. 2". Guests swayed with the rhythm of the music and felt the wonderful sparks of collision between Eastern and Western music.

Guillaume Delvall é e, Consul General of France in Chengdu, commented that the exhibition content and form, the jazz music in the courtyard, the temperament of Sanlian Bookstore, and the old architectural style of Kuanzhai Alley are very compatible.

In addition to Chinese and Western music, the event also specially prepared Chinese and Western style Dim sum and drinks for the guests, especially the white wine from Ningxia, China, and Riesling dry white from Germany.

The on-site guests continued to fully engage in cross-border exchanges during the exhibition tour and cocktail party, clinking glasses and enjoying the beauty of art, music, and the coexistence of Chinese and foreign cultures together.

Exhibiting artists

Carsten Sanders

Carsten Sander is a famous German photographic artist. He spent ten years photographing 1000 German faces and 1000 European faces. His "Faces" series presents the rich and poor, celebrities and ordinary people, happy people, sick people, elderly and young people, and Europeans with immigrant backgrounds in an egalitarian manner. This is a modern and diverse European film about tolerance and equal coexistence. Sande shot the subject's face from the front, with the same background, without posing, and extremely clear. The work calmly and objectively captures every face, as well as the soul behind the mirror. Karsten hopes to come to China next year and use the same method to shoot 1000 Chinese faces.

 Xiao Quan 

Xiao Quan is known as the 'best portrait photographer in China'. He spent ten years traveling across the north and south of China, capturing the touching moments of various literary and artistic celebrities and ordinary people through his lens. The works selected here are all characters he shot in Chengdu: Sanmao, Cui Jian, Beidao, Yi Zhinan, Zhai Yongming, Ouyang Jianghe, Zhou Chunya, Lv Peng, Mao Amin, Chen Qiaoru, Liu Jiakun and these shining names; my grandmother, the old man who sells Ding Ding candy on Longquan Mountain, the heroic captain Liu Chuanjian, Dai Guohong who was injured in the Wenchuan earthquake and later became the champion of the 100m breaststroke at the Paralympic Games, Lin Ling and Lin Long, who are of mixed Chinese and German descent. All of these people together form a tolerant and warm hearted society. Chengdu scene.

 Guest performer/

东西合集爵士乐队

 The "East West Collection" band is not so much a fixed lineup as it is a concept of Chinese and foreign musicians jointly performing Chinese songs and jazz music. Its name comes from Goethe's famous poetry collection "The East West Collection".

Sak: Song Yuxiang (USA)

I received my undergraduate degree in music from the University of California, Santa Cruz College, and my graduate degree in music education from San Jose State University. Studied under Dale Wolford and Rick Rossi. Since 2015, I have been teaching at the Jazz Department of the School of Pop at Sichuan Conservatory of Music. In 2022, I released my first original music album, 'Change'.

Bass: Feng Martin (Germany)

Formerly served as the President of the Hanover Jazz Musicians Association and a member of the United Nations Jazz Association. Feng Martin is often referred to as the "diplomat who plays jazz": no matter where he is stationed, he will establish a jazz band there. In Guangzhou, Feng Martin founded the Guangzhou Rhythm Band and the East West Collection Band.

Piano: Yan Lei (China)

Teacher from the School of Pop Music at Sichuan Conservatory of Music, passionate about jazz music, under the guidance of renowned Chinese jazz performer Lv Yan.

 Katarina Bolek (Poland)

·Famous international pianist

·Master's degree from Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland and Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels

·First Prize at the Warsaw National Piano Competition in Poland

·Ambassador of Young Poland to the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage

Partner Introduction

Joint Publishing 

Sanlian Bookstore is a publishing institution with a long history and glorious tradition, founded in 1948 by the merger of the original Life Bookstore, New Knowledge Bookstore, and Reading Publishing House. Sanlian Bookstore mainly publishes books on humanities and social sciences, covering fields such as philosophy, history, literature, art, economics, politics, law, and social life. Its publications enjoy a high reputation in the intellectual community and among a wide range of readers, hailed as the 'spiritual home of Chinese intellectuals'.

 German Braun Piano

The Braun piano has been recognized by the German government as a national treasure, with a golden tone, and is the official piano of many European royal families. We have a superb level of craftsmanship, utilizing first-class qin making techniques such as golden resonance soundboard technology, incredibly precise steel plate technology, and unparalleled patented technology for "resonance strings".