Shi Guowei Debuts 'After the Festival' at Fotografiska Shenzhen

Shi Guowei's new body of work, After the Festival, will debut at Fotografiska Shenzhen in October 2026. The exhibition features large-scale hand-colored photographs, including Drum (2026) and Bridge (2026), which depict the remnants of human celebration—discarded ceremonial drums, algae-covered cement lotus leaves, and festive props—capturing a melancholic afterglow. Shi's method involves painting over black-and-white photographs with water-based pigment in exacting layers, a technique he calls 'authentic illusion' to achieve 'felt truth.' Trained at Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts & Design and Fachhochschule Dortmund, he departs from a decade of rendering natural motifs to focus on the aftermath of festivals. The works are courtesy of the artist, Magician Space, Beijing, and Fotografiska Shenzhen. In an interview, Shi discusses his interest in individual experience versus collective celebration, and a personal story about a stray dog during Covid that inspired a work with a scarlet horizon. The exhibition opens in October 2026.