"A Poet Behind the Camera: The Art of Guan Yiming" Will Be Held on 11/8 at CCACC Art Gallery

CCACC Art Gallery will host the opening reception of "A Poet Behind the Camera: The Art of Guan Yiming" on Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 2 to 4 PM, with an Artist Talk beginning at 2:45 PM. The gallery warmly invites the community and art enthusiasts to attend, engage directly with the artist, and experience the poetry and philosophical depth captured in light and shadow.

Guan Yiming is a renowned Chinese photographic artist, long devoted to both urban documentary and creative artistic photography. Over a decade, he photographed nearly 100 world-class artists visiting Shanghai, including Pavarotti, Celine Dion, Sophie Marceau, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. His photography collection, World-Renowned Artists in Shanghai, was selected for the Frankfurt International Book Fair in the year of its publication.

Artistic Style and Achievements
Documentary Photography: Guan has consistently captured Shanghai's cultural figures, urban transformations, and social life from a humanistic perspective. His documentary work has been exhibited at prestigious venues, including the Louvre and Grand Palais in Paris, Chelsea Town Hall in London, Hamburg City Hall in Germany, and Milan Art Center in Italy. In 2014, his City Imprints series won the Gold Prize for Photography at the International Art Exhibition organized by the French Artists Association.

Abstract Photography: Since the 1980s, Guan has pursued experimental artistic photography, exploring and expanding the medium's visual language. Notable series such as That Mountain, That Water, Fabricated Landscapes, Symphony of Fire and Earth, and Bronze Patterns have been featured in stamp collections issued by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Foundation and the European Philatelic Association. His abstract photography stamps were also displayed at the Louvre Post Office in Paris. In 2023, his abstract series was featured on the "megascreen" in New York's Times Square.

Guan believes that photography can document the world objectively through documentary work while expressing the spiritual realm subjectively through abstract photography. He advocates for innovation in the medium through his concept of "Extraordinary Photography," which challenges traditional boundaries, emphasizes originality and experimentation, and conveys emotion and ideas through light, shadow, and composition. This approach enhances the literary quality of documentary work and the musicality of abstract photography.

Blending Eastern and Western aesthetics, Guan Yiming continually explores the depth and vision of visual art. He is praised as a photographer who "writes poetry with a camera." This exhibition presents the essence of his diverse creations, allowing viewers to experience the poetry and philosophical reflection that transcend reality through the interplay of light and shadow.

Exhibition Details:

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 8, 2025, 2:00–4:00 PM | 2:45 PM (Artist Talk)
Exhibition Period: November 8, 2025 – January 2, 2026 (*The gallery will be closed to the public on Saturday, November 22, 2025.)
Gallery Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday, 12:00–5:00 PM
Gallery Address: 9318 Gaither Road, Suite 215, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
Parking & Admission: Free