Ryan Pyle Blog: Brighton Gallery Exhibition

Hello.

This is just a remind that I'll be speaking next week at the AM Gallery in Brighton to launch the Intimate China show which begins on Tuesday March 1st and runs for the month of March. A small selection of my work from Chinese Turkestan will be on display.

My talk will take place on Tuesday March 1st at 8pm. If anyone is in the neighborhood, swing by.

The gallery address is:
1 Borough Street, Brighton BN1 3BG, United Kingdom
+44.1273.771228
www.amgallery.co.uk

AM Gallery LINK

The official flier is below.

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AM Gallery presents
Intimate China
A group exhibition of China-based photographers

We are pleased to invite you to a private view & Artist’s talk with Ryan Pyle in accordance with the ArtsFORUM

Tuesday 1 March 2011 7pm-9pm
AM Gallery, 1 Borough Street, Brighton
PLEASE RSVP amgalleryuk@gmail.com by 25 Feb.

The exhibition aims to enhance the interaction between the European public and Chinese art scene through the photographic medium - with more than 70 stunning images in two different shows, viewers will be able to become familiar with the fascinating contemporary Chinese art scene. The fine art photographers display a great combination of people and landscape, while in documentary there is no lack of details about everyday life in China.

Photographers
Show 1: Seppe Van Grieken, Jonathan Browning, Ryan Pyle, Jingyi Yang, Gemma Thorpe, Stefen Chow
Show 2: Boris Austin, Jasper James, David Hartung, Camille Levert, Peikwen Cheng, Simon Dean

Exhibition
Show 1: Open Tuesday 1 – Thursday 10 March 2011
Show 2: Open Friday 11 – Sunday 20 March 2011

Opening Hours
Weekdays 11am-4pm. Sat/Sun 11am-5pm. Monday closed. FREE ENTRY

How to get here
By Bus: 1, 1A, 2, 2A, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 20, 25, 46, 49, 49A, 71, 81, 81B, N25 (Norfolk Square)
Use Google map or Multi map to find routes to and from the gallery.

About Ryan Pyle
Photography: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
Film: www.mkride.com

More information can be found at www.amgallery.co.uk & theartsforum.blogspot.com/
Wine will be served free.
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--
Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: London Visit

Hello.

This is just a brief note to let anyone out there, followers and non-followers alike, that I'll be visiting London for about 12 days starting next week. I have some engagements while in London and I've listed them below. In case you are interested, the venue's are open to the public and your more than welcome to stop by, listen in and say hello. Details below:

Date: Tuesday February 22nd 2011
Cambridge University: East Asian Society - Time: 5pm to 8pm
Venue: Robinson College
Speaker: Ryan Pyle
Topic: A Lens on China: Sources of Political Change in China
Full Cambridge LINK


Date: Wednesday February 23rd 2011
University of London: SOAS - Time: 3pm to 5pm
Venue: Venue: Russell Square: College Buildings. Room: L67
Speaker: Ryan Pyle and Dianne Aigaki
Topic: Images of Tibet: Two presentations by photographers of contemporary Tibet
Full SOAS Lecture LINK


Date: Thursday February 24th 2011
London School of Economics: Arts Public Lecture - Time: 1-2pm
Venue: Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building
Speaker: Ryan Pyle
Topic: Documenting China.
Full LSE Lecture LINK.


Date: Monday February 28th 2011
London: BBC Interview - Time: 1pm to 2:30pm
Venue: BBC Studios - London, UK
Interviewee: Ryan Pyle
Interviewer: Mishal Husain
Television Show: Impact Asia with Mishal Husain
Full BBC Interview LINK


Date: Tuesday March 1st 2011
Brighton: AM Gallery: "Intimate China" - Time: 8pm
Venue: AM Gallery, Brighton, UK
Speaker: Ryan Pyle
Topic: Chinese Turkestan
Full AM Gallery Lecture LINK

Back to China and ready for assignments on March 4th.

--
Ryan Pyle
Photographer
ryan@ryanpyle.com
Website: www.ryanpyle.com
Archive: http://archive.ryanpyle.com
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Ryan Pyle Blog: Secrets of the Silk Road

Hello.

This was a news story that caught my eye last week, and I didn't have a chance to comment on it until now. So bear with me.

The Chinese government has a problem with history, especially their own; and especially in contested border regions. Which is why it should surprise no one that the Chinese government recently withheld two mummies and around 100 artifacts from an Exhibition in Philadelphia known as the "Secrets of the Silk Road". The folks in Philadelphia haven't come out and said exactly why the Chinese authorities have withheld important artifacts from the show, but this is simply for fear of repercussions.

One can gather, by the very short article in Reuters, which I've included below, that the Chinese got bent out of shape by something that was included or excluded in the exhibition. You see, the Chinese are bitter about their Silk Road past. Chinese history dictates that the Emperor sitting in Eastern China (be it Xi'an, Beijing or Nanjing) had control over the western edges of China; which in fact they never did. The Chinese are also livid about the "Tomb Raiders", mainly European explorers and treasure hunters, that beat the Chinese to the regions most impressive artifacts in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

As if you needed to add more bitterness to the situation, the Chinese government also continues to insist that mummies of bodies found in Xinjiang in Northwest China are actually Han Chinese; but nothing could be further from the truth. The mummies are mainly Uygur, Central Asia and have more Caucasian features then Han Chinese. The Chinese governments official stand on Silk Road history doesn't exactly match up and this often causes disagreements and in this case, in my opinion, the withholding of wonderful artifacts from the American public.

This is just another example of how skittish the Chinese propaganda machine is. As if the present isn't difficult enough to navigate, now we have to start arguing about the past. Luckily China has plenty of government officials without too much on their agenda to take up the fight.

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Original Story LINK
Copyright: Reuters

Title: U.S. Silk Road show to open without Chinese artifacts

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters Life!) - A exhibition about the ancient Silk Road trade route connecting Europe and Asia will open without artifacts and mummies from China that would have been the centerpiece of the show, according to museum officials.

The University of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology said Chinese officials had withdrawn about 100 artifacts and two mummies from the "Secrets of the Silk Road" exhibition, which opens on Saturday and will run until June 5.

The exhibit will include text, images, sound, maps, a recreated excavation site and photographs of the withdrawn items.

The show "has been modified ... at the request of Chinese officials," the museum said in a statement.

Pam Kosty, a spokeswoman for the museum, said the withdrawn items had been part of the show at its earlier stops in California and Texas, but would not be available in Philadelphia.

She declined to say why the Chinese officials had made the decision.

The Chinese embassy in Washington D.C. did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

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