MCI & Creative Manchester team up with Chengdu gallery for 2020 photo competition

Manchester China Institute (MCI) and Creative Manchester will stage the exhibition and ceremony for this year’s International Photo-Essay Competition in Sichuan’s provincial capital, Chengdu.

2020’s theme is ‘What does family mean to you’, and MCI hope to encourage family creativity during a time of global insecurity. The competition’s 30 finalists will be exhibited in the IPF gallery from 5 June onwards, culminating in a Winners Ceremony on 28 June. Sichuan’s local news stations will facilitate a video link which will be accessed from the UK.

IPF’s Director Rorí Mencin believes the exhibition is a fantastic example of how creative expression can be the bridge between building mutual understanding and empathy between different cultures. “IPF Gallery's mission in Chengdu has always been to breach the boundaries between local and foreign audiences through the medium of art, and in the process, celebrate our own unique cultures, whilst highlighting our shared commonalities. As such, and we are ecstatic to host this international event organised by Manchester China Institute at our venue.

In looking at these photos, we hope our international art community here in China and the UK can be moved toward embracing the notion that, although the meaning of family may differ based on the individual, in the international era "the global village" extends beyond the borders of any one nation, place, or framed border on the wall”.

With the chance for entrants to have their smartphone photograph on the walls of an international gallery, and with three prizes of £1,000 available, MCI hopes this new relationship can become a valuable longstanding partnership, increasing contact and creativity between Manchester and China’s creative organisations.