Artist Ren Lingfei has been awarded the Lishui/FORMAT Award 2021 for her exhibition From That Day On, selected by Louise Fedotov-Clements and Niamh Treacy as part of FORMAT’s ongoing partnership with Lishui International Photography Festival in China. 

FORMAT would also like to commend the four shortlisted artists for their incredible work: Canrong Chen, Lin Zhou, Xueya Wang and Xiaolian Dong and Qingjun Huang.

Ren Lingfei’s, From That Day On is a long-term project based on her own experience. The images metaphorically and candidly reflect Ren’s responses to family, love, changes in the social environment and world events. Ren discusses the definition of “home” and people’s psychological conditions affected by identity, family, social construction, and urban life. Ren’s first solo exhibition in Lishui From That Day on brings together 17 works from four series, presenting memories and experiences that are multi-threaded and interweaved.

FORMAT and Lishui International Photography festival, partners since 2019, collaborate on exhibitions, awards, exchanges and professional development opportunities for international photographers. Lishui Photography Festival, established in 2004, takes place in Lishui city and surrounding areas. It is an international photography celebration, co-hosted by Lishui Municipal People’s Government, Zhejiang and the China Photographers Association.