Fine Art nominee

‘The Fabric of Relationships’ is particularly influenced by the French choreographer Yoann Bourgeois and his piece ‘Celui qui tombe’ (He who falls). In this piece, Bourgeois explores the idea of collapse, and the ways in which individuals can demonstrate this through movement: leaning, clutching and grasping onto one another.

Within my body of work there are correlations not only between the physicality of Bourgeois, but also the concepts; from moments of isolation to instances of escapism, ‘The Fabric of Relationships’ plays with the complexities of human connection. Incorporating partnership and collaboration the work shows a range of emotions and experiences that define our personal interactions.

At times, the work may appear chaotic and disjointed, reflecting the unpredictability of human existence; at other times, it may be more subdued and introspective, offering a glimpse into the inner workings of the human mind. Ultimately, the ambition of the work is to create a visual representation of "mankind in miniature," capturing the complex and ever-evolving nature of human interconnection.

Michael Shi, a young Chinese photographer in New York, has an uncommon art journey. He started photography at an early age and was fortunate enough to make it professional during his university life. In 2009, he started his own studio in Shanghai and later worked as the Art Director for an Alibaba-invested E-commerce company. Some of his clients included Nike, Nine West, and Levis.

His academic background in statistics and business greatly added to his expertise in lighting techniques and cultivated his visionary endeavors in managing an art project. These diverse experiences, along with twenty years of working on every aspect of photography (portrait, landscape, fashion, commercial, product, dance, street), helped to shape his visual style. Incorporating pieces of learning from all of his different involvements, Michael’s work demonstrates a clean, colorful, character-driven narrative. His new project, Colors of Dance, has received critical acclaim from within both the dance and photography world. He was invited to exhibit his work in the 1st Philadelphia Dance Photo Expo in 2014. His first solo exhibition will be in the Chain Theatre of New York in February 2015.