Yoong Wah Alex Wong, a faculty member of the Visual Arts and Visual Communication Design (VAVCD) program at Sabancı University, attended the 2024 Beijing International Photography Week.
Known for his artistic and academic contributions, Wong delivered two important speeches at the event entitled ‘Vision and the Future of Artistic Creation and Research in Higher Education Studies’ and ‘Art, Design and Media Environment in Turkey’. Wong’s presence and contributions once again demonstrated Sabancı University’s efforts to bridge cultural and academic dialogues on a global scale.
Alex Wong, who received the ‘Contribution and Outstanding Educator Award’, which distinguished him among the best art and design professors in China, also attended the opening ceremony of “Infinite Landscape, 1st Young Imaging 100 Art Exhibition” on the exhibition day. This large-scale event, organized to encourage young artists, was part of the broader Photography Week, which featured 15 themed exhibitions and over 5,400 works by over 2,600 photographers. The exhibition highlighted innovative and creative works by young artists from around the world, focusing on themes such as human society, nature, and sustainable development in the context of the past, present, and future.
Sabancı University graduates also added color to the exhibition. The works of Neslihan Koyuncu (Arkaik Birim) and Hilal Işık (Kürleme), who is currently a VAVCD graduate student, were selected for exhibition, marking impressive achievements in their artistic careers. Both artists contributed to the high-quality exhibition, which showcased the power of young people’ artistic exploration through embracing modern technologies and multimedia approaches.
Co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and the Beijing Local Administration, the Beijing International Photography Week is a leading platform for the discussion and exhibition of contemporary photography. This year's theme, "Image: Life-Eternity," explores how images shape human perspectives over time and how photography intertwines with cultural, historical, and technological trends.