Five Texas photographers to display small-town Texas photos in China exhibit

Texas photographers display photos of small-town Texas in China

By Christi Fish
Associate Director of Media Relations

(Oct. 31, 2011) -- At the invitation of the China Photographers Association, Texas photographers Peter Brown, Al Rendon, Ricardo Romo, Joel Salcido and Ansen Seale will travel to Lishui City in the Zhezhiang province of China, Nov. 2-10 to display their photographs in the exhibit "Infinite Horizon: Visions of Texas." The exhibit on display at the 14th annual China International Photographic Art Exhibition will give the Chinese a unique and for some a never-before-seen view of Texas.

Curator Arturo Infante Almeida, UTSA art specialist, and co-curator Rex Hausmann, will travel with the group to prepare for the China exhibition.

"The five photographers featured in this exhibit have an eye for South Texas," said Almeida. "With patience and understanding, they have been able to capture small-town Texas in their lenses like nobody else. Their photos are poetic, and they will offer unique insight to all who see them on display."

Following the exhibit, the five photographers will travel to Wenzhou and Beijing, China, where they will take photos of China over two days.

Donald Lien, director of the UTSA Confucius Institute, which seeks to bridge Texan and Asian cultures, was instrumental in connecting the photographers to their Chinese counterparts. In 2010, Lien took a trip to China, carrying with him photos taken by UTSA President Ricardo Romo. The photos, which were published in Popular Photographer, China's premier photography magazine, led to the invitation for next month's show.

"Many Chinese are familiar with American customs and the American way of life, but the Texas culture is foreign to them," said Lien. "This exhibit and cultural exchange connect the two communities, bringing each culture to the heart of the other."

The artists' trip to China is sponsored by the UTSA Confucius Institute and the China Photographers Association. As a demonstration of gratitude for their invitation to China, the UTSA Confucius Institute will host an exhibit in San Antonio of the photographs taken by the Texas photographers in China.

UTSA established the Confucius Institute in 2010 in collaboration with Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters in China) to promote Chinese language learning and to generate an appreciation for and understanding of Chinese culture, history and society among the people of San Antonio and South Texas.

Established in December 1956, the China Photographers Association is the first national photographic organization in the People's Republic of China. The most influential and authoritative photographic organization in China, the association is comprised of 32 member associations from provinces, cities and autonomous regions, 11 professional photography groups and more than 12,000 individual members. The International Photo Festival is one of China's largest and most prestigious photography shows and is held every other year.

To learn more about "Infinite Horizon: Visions of Texas," contact Arturo Almeida at 210-458-4983.