NOWHERE Opens at Three Shadows Beijing

On July 12, Three Shadows hosted a well-attended panel discussion examining the roles and responsibilities of photographers and architects in tackling urban design challenges—ranging from spatial planning to the transformative implications of AI, AR, and VR technologies.

Pictured from left to right: photographer Frank van der Salm; Paradox director Bas Vroege; Beijing-based Dutch architect Martijn de Geus (maison h, Tsinghua University); Ma Yansong (MAD Architects); photography professor Li Tong (Central Academy of Fine Arts); and Jingya Li (Beijing Jiaotong Technical University), who chaired the discussion.

The lively exchange of perspectives continued two days later during a follow-up meet-up with students and faculty at Beijing Jiaotong Technical University (BJTU). Additional lectures at Tsinghua University are being planned to coincide with the opening of NOWHERE in Xiamen (see above).

An intriguing feature of NOWHERE at Three Shadows Beijing is the inclusion of two in situ works specially created by Frank van der Salm for the exhibition space. Drawing inspiration from Ai Weiwei’s original 2007 architectural design, Van der Salm integrated his dynamic light piece The Strip (Las Vegas, 2013) into one of the large windows, transforming it into a vibrant visual portal.

Equally captivating is Resource(s) (São Paulo, 2023), installed inside a sculptural, see-through architectural element. Its interior surface is seductively lined with rows of plastic gold bars, enveloping viewers in a reflection on value, materiality, and illusion.

By embedding two-dimensional works directly into the architecture, Van der Salm takes a bold new step — one that signals exciting potential for future spatial interventions and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Congratulations to PhotoIreland on the launch of the International Centre for the Image, located in Dublin’s North Docklands. This ambitious new initiative marks the next phase of PhotoIreland’s research, which began in 2017. Described as a forward-looking museum, the centre is built around three strategic pillars: Artists, Artform, and Audiences, and is designed with four core functions in mind: research, production, exhibition, and archiving/storage.

The centre officially opened on July 17 with Foreword, a group exhibition curated by museum founders Ángel Luis González Fernández and Julia Gelezova. As they explain, “The selection of works presents a conversation around the complex dynamics within technology and image-making, the politics of representation, and arts practice.”

Among the 17 artists featured in this inaugural show are Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik, showcasing their powerful video work Bereitschaft. The duo was also invited to present their extensive research into the strategies and iconography of online right-wing extremism during Rethinking the Image, a two-day public programme of talks hosted at the centre.

The projection shown in the photo above features a preview of If a Flower Bloomed in a Dark Room, Would You Trust It? — a visual representation of their research, designed by Studio Sallali.

A book detailing the work of Ganslmeier & Zibelnik is set to be published by Spector Books, with a launch scheduled for Paris Photo this November.