Outset Netherlands was delighted to support artist Ren Hang's first solo exhibition in The Netherlands at Foam Photography Museum, as a result of awarding him with the Outset ; Unseen Exhibition Fund 2016.
Founded in 2013, the Outset ; Unseen Exhibition Fund was a unique partnership between Unseen Photo Fair, Foam and Outset Netherlands, providing a new institutional platform for emerging talent. Scouting the fair before opening hours, each year the curatorial committee selects one artist exhibiting at Unseen for a solo exhibition the following year at Foam Photography Museum, Amsterdam. In 2016, the independent curatorial committee consisted of Alona Pardo (UK), Thomas Dukes (UK) and Carolyn H. Drake (NL), who selected artist Ren Hang (CH, 1987) at the 2016 edition of Unseen, the fair for contemporary photography in Amsterdam.
Curatorial statement:
'Whilst employing the language of fashion photography, Ren Hang's irreverent and playfully sexual compositions create new sculptural forms using the body. The curatorial committee is impressed by the consistent quality and sophistication across his practice and within each image.
Hang’s intuitive ability to construct portraits both in interior spaces and in nature combine to create photographs that resist a singular interpretation.
Continuing a tradition of photographic expression in defiance of censorship, Hang’s work evades Chinese authority guidance on what can and should be represented by surreptitiously photographing the nude body in public spaces.
Poetry is central to Hang’s practice, both in the image and written form and his prolific output creates a stream of consciousness that expresses his desire for a life free of restriction.'
ON VIEW: 27th January - 12th March 2017
