Zhang Jin Selected for Residency in the Verzasca Valley 2019

We are pleased to announce that Chinese artist Zhang Jin will participate in the “Artist-in-Residence in the Verzasca Valley 2019”. He will work in the Verzasca Valley in Switzerland during July 28 to September 8, 2019, so as to engage in nature and streets, collaborate with artists, curators, residents from different institutions, regions and countries and bring a site-specific, live and creative scene along with different residency experience. This program is supported by Pro Helvetia Shanghai, Swiss Arts Council, upon whose invitation Luxelakes A4 Art Museum has nominated the residency candidates. This shall be the first time that the two institutions jointly facilitate this residency.
Program Introduction
Verzasca established a place where invited photographers from Switzerland and abroad can stay for a period of time by creating their own projects. The artists can create their images with total freedom of mind, interact with the surrounding nature, the local population and the other artists attending the festival activities.
The residency takes place in an outlying and rural context where rhythms and dynamics may differ than the ones the artists are normally faced to in their daily life. Being fully immersed in pristine nature, the artists stand in a place where time is also given to inner reflexion, study and personal developing. The residency program is fully integrated with the Verzasca Foto Festival.
Verzasca Foto Festival
The festival takes place yearly since 2014 in the Verzasca Valley. The new edition’s dates are from the 5th to the 8th of September 2019. The events will take place in the towns of Lavertezzo, Brione, Frasco and Sonogno, peaceful villages in the mountains of the Canton of Ticino.
The aim of the festival is to offer an authentic and unique photography event in a place of rare beauty, surrounded by nature, centenary architecture and harmonious ambiance. We offer a four-day experience with collective outdoor exhibitions, residency and contests exhibitions, photography workshops, talks and round tables with the invited photographers. The Photo Night is an outdoor event with multimedia slide show and live music, usually in the main square of one of the villages.
Verzasca Foto offers the possibility of experiencing both wild natural landscapes and photographic contents, as well as connecting with other cultures and strengthening human relationships through informal networking and personal meetings with residency and other photographers, institutions, sponsors, and cultural actors.
Zhang Jin
Zhang Jin (b. 1978, Sichuan) resides in Chengdu. He received BS & MS in Materials Chemistry at University of Science and Technology of China in 2004, and Ph.D. of Chemistry at Polytechnic Institute of New York University in 2007. Jin’s practice involves Installation, Photography and Video. His works focus on the traces of social counter-effect on life world and image transformation of invisible energy. Based on the methodology of scientific experiments, he devoted himself to the production of image in alternative way.
Jin’s work has been exhibited internationally in many Art Centre and Galleries, and collected by White Rabbit Gallery in Australia, Luxelakes A4 Art Museum, Three Shadows Photography Art Center, etc. His work of Another Season was selected as the 4th Three Shadows Photography Award in 2012.
(Banner courtesy of Verzasca FOTO Festival, Bego+Anton, photo by Arguine Escandon.)