A2Z Art Gallery: Illusionary Photography

Is an image we see what we believe it is? Is it composed of the elements that we think we see, with techniques we think they are made with?

These are the kinds of questions a Paris-based A2Z Art Gallery asks in the exhibition ‘Photography, Differently’. The show presents two artists experimenting with boundaries of photography – treating photography as sculpture as Chinese artist Zhang Wei or as painting as Tunis-born French artist Wahib Chehata. Both artists are known for their extremely precise work, but show different ways of drawing attention to the place of Man in current societies by using a computer as at tool.

In his work, Zhang Wei conducts photographic surgery on celebrity portraits. Like a sculptor, he assembles and models their faces, which become contemporary Frankensteins. By recreating portraits of familiar people and faces, he asks questions about idolatry in terms of aesthetics, and offers viewers illusory familiarity. Born in Shangluo, China, in 1977, Zhang Wei graduated from the department of photography by the Beijing Film Academy BFA. He lives and works in Beijing.

Tunis-born French artist Wahib Chehata’s work twirls around two complementary perspectives: scenes and portraits. His works at A2Z Art Gallery reflect the evolution of his society by using different mythologies as a starting point. Passionate about drawing and painting, Chehata approaches photography as a painter. He works as an artist, editor and artistic director.

A2Z Art Gallery, founded in 2009 by Ziwei and Anthony Phuong, presents contemporary photographers, sculptors, video artists and performers with a focus on developing exchanges between China and France, and presenting Chinese potential still unknown. •

‘Photography, Differently’ at A2Z Art Gallery in Paris, France on 21 November–5 December 2015.

Main image
Wahib Chehata: Death (2015). Mixed media. Size 90 x 90 cm.