Curriculum Vitae of Wang Yishu

Yishu once worked as one of the top photojournalists in Chinese media. This allowed him to travel across China, from metropolitan cities to remote villages, capturing images along the way. While the media’s focus was on pursuing clear stories with affecting narratives and striking effects, Yishu’s interest lay in exploring ordinary situations and how they conveyed the complexities of human existence. Fleeting moments are stilled in Yishu’s photographs; they do not show clear intention or meaning, but they are evanescent, exquisite, and, as the artist describes, “solid as a standing steel plate.” In his photographs, Yishu makes a thing become “the thing,” or another thing. His photographs depict his subjects with ambiguous purpose that reflects the intricacies of both their exterior and interior worlds.

Wang Yishu, born in Gansu Province in 1973. His hometown is Jinzhou, Liaoning Province. He graduated from the Department of Chinese Literature of Northwest Normal University in 1995. Now he lives and works in Zhejiang & Shanghai.

Solo Exhibition
2016: Open Ending, CIPA Gallery, Beijing
2016: Open Ending, C14 Gallery, Shanghai
2012: Response, Machiatto Studio, Hangzhou
2012: DONG, Ji’nan International Photography Biennale, Ji’nan
2005: Land of Contradictions, Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao

Group Exhibition
2015: Photo Shanghai, Shanghai Exhibition Center, Shanghai
2015: From Iconography to Photography: Selected Chinese Contemporary Photographys from Charles Jing’s Collections, CIPA Gallery, Beijing
2014: Challenge the Tradition: 20 century western classical and Chinese contemporary photography, Inside-out Art Museum, Beijing
2014: Straight Photography, Gucang Contemporary Photography Gallery, Lanzhou
2014: ∞ Chinese Contemporary Photography, Guangzhou 33 Art Center, Guangzhou
2014: Luoping Photo Festival, Luoping
2013: Dali International Photo Exhibition, Dali
2013: The 3rd Chengdu Multi-dimensional View Photo Exhibition, Chengdu
2012: iPhoneography, Guangzhou
2012: Lianzhou International Photo Festival, Lianzhou
2011: The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), New York, USA
2010: Dali International Photo Exhibition, Dali
2010: The Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD), New York, USA
2009: Lianzhou International Photo Festival, Lianzhou
2009: Contemporary Photography of China, Japan and South Korea, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (S.F.MoMA), San Francisco, USA
2009: The Other Shore: Exhibition of 12 Chinese Photographers, Atlanta, USA
2006: Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA ), New York, USA
2005: San Francisco International Photography Exhibition, San Francisco, USA
2005: 1st Guangzhou Photo Biennale, Guangdong Museum of Arts, Guangzhou
2004: Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao
2004: Wuyi Mountain International Photography Week, Wuyi Mountain
2003: Humanism in China: A contemporary record of photography, Guangdong Museum of Arts, Guangzhou
2003: Pingyao International Photography Festival, Pingyao
2002: Five photographer from China, San Francisco City Hall, San Francisco, USA.

Reference
B & W, 2002. USA
Chinese Photography, 2005. Interview with Wang Yishu.
Chinese Photography, 2010. Interview with Wang Yishu.
Hai Jie, 2013. Biaotai – Dialogue with Fourteen Contemporary Chinese Photography Artists.
Jiang Wei, 2013. Lens Plus. Shanghai Culture Publishing House.

Public Collections
2007 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (S.F.MoMA), San Francisco, USA
2005 Guangdong Museum of Art
2004 Guangdong Museum of Art