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Portraits In a Chinese Studio

Since January 2023 has presented Grace Lau’s Portraits In a Chinese Studio in a series of locations across the UK, including Southampton, London, Eastbourne, and St Leonards-on-Sea.

Exhibition: 21 January 2023 – 8 June 2024

Portraits In a Chinese Studio is based on Grace Lau’s research into studio portraits made by 19th-century and early 20th-century Western photographers in China. Lau realised that Chinese subjects were placed in a Victorian studio setting as ‘exotic subjects’ and ‘unusual beings’. Lau’s project highlights this relationship and reverses the roles for 21st-century participants.

Lau’s photographic studio was made of ‘mock’ traditional Chinese furniture, with a decorative backdrop and accessories including a soft-toy panda rug. Participants were asked to pose in a similar formal manner to the Victorian studio portraits. However, in contrast to their historical setting, those having their portraits taken will be encouraged to keep their contemporary accessories, such as mobile phones, shopping bags, and clothing. A free portrait will be emailed to each participant.

Grace Lau comments:
Through this project, I am making a comment on Imperialist visions of the ‘exotic’ Chinese. I want participants to think about how different people have been represented in portraits over time, and today – placing people in this constructed historic setting and taking their portrait is a great way to start that conversation.

Over the course of 53 days, the project engaged 3,402 participants, resulting in 1,377 photographic portraits, with around 240,643 visitors coming from all over the world, even as far as New York!

Following the project’s run at the Marlands Centre, Southampton in February 2023, a selection of portraits taken were placed on display at John Hansard Gallery during September 2023. The project then toured to the Centre for British Photography in Autumn 2023, and as part of Eastbourne Alive alongside the Turner Prize in February 2024. It finally returned to Hastings in May 2024, where it first began twenty ago, and will culminate in one final exhibition as part of PhotoHastings in October 2024.

View the programme of events and activities delivered alongside the project here.

Portraits In a Chinese Studio in Southampton was led by John Hansard Gallery and presented in association with Chinese Arts Southampton, Chinese Association of Southampton, UK Shaolin Centre, and the Confucius Institute. Digital copies of all the photographs were donated to Southampton City Archives, with the aspiration of creating a social record of communities in 2023.

A glimpse into my journey with Portraits in a Chinese Studio – read more

Review Exhibitions：Southampton & London

Portraits In a Chinese Studio - Southampton

Exhibition: 1 September – 28 October 2023
Location: John Hansard Gallery, Southampton
Curator: Wenjun Xie & Yutong Zhang

The first photographic portrait studios in China were set up in the mid-19th century by Western travellers. The studios focused on ‘exotic’ subjects such as opium smokers and courtesans. In 2005, artist Grace Lau created her own version of an old Chinese portrait studio in East Sussex. She documented the residents and tourists to Hastings as ‘exotic’ subjects. Open to anyone passing by, the project made a comment on Imperialist visions of the Chinese. By reversing roles, Lau became the Imperialist photographer, making portraits of the diverse people of a British seaside town.

In February 2023, Lau’s Chinese Studio reopened in Marlands Shopping Centre, Southampton. Presented over Chinese New Year, the three-week installation resulted in over 600 portraits. All together these portraits represent the maritime city and inform several layers of cultural interpretation. The portraits conflate 150 years of history and add to Lau’s growing archive of ‘21st Century Types’.

The photographs in this exhibition are a selection of the portraits taken in Southampton during February 2023.

exhibition site photo by Luke Shears

Artist Talk

In Conversation: Grace Lau and Vikkie Chen
John Hansard Gallery
23 September 2023

Organazated by Wenjun Xie and Yutong Zhang
Photo by Wenjun Xie

Cutorial note-

Portraits In a Chinese Studio - London

Exhibition: 5 October - 17 December 2023
Location: Centre for British Photography, London

Portraits In a Chinese Studio is presented in partnership with John Hansard Gallery, part of the University of Southampton, supported by Arts Council England and sponsored by MPB and Genesis Imaging.

exhibition site photo by Richard Chung

Touring Exhibitions：Southampton，Eastbourne，London，St Leonards-on-Sea

Southampton

Marland Shoping Centre, Southampton,
January 2023.

Photo by Nosa Malcolm.

London

Centre for British Photography,
London,
October - December 2023.

Photo by Wenjun Xie

Eastbourne

234 Terumie Rd, Eastbourne, part of Eastbourne Alive alongside the Turner Prize.
February 2024.

Photo by Wenjun Xie

St Leonards-on-Sea

Solaris Print,
St Leonards-on-Sea
May 2024.

Photo by Wenjun

Workshops alongside the Exhibition

Paint a Chinese Folding Fan

Marland shopping Centre, Southampton
29 January 2023

Led by local artist Jean Romsey

Make a Chinese-style Photo Frame

John Hansard Gallery, Southampton
4 February 2023

Led by Peiyi Lei & Wenjun Xie

Chinese Calligraphy

Solaris Print, St Leonards-on-Sea
16 May 2024

Led by Yutong Zhang

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