The Real African Experience.

My 12-day in Africa was definitely the most extraordinary travel experience I've ever had. I traveled mainly in 3 major cities in Nigeria - Lagos, Abuja and Kano, three very different flavor of Nigeria. The idea of this first African trip for me is not to see the monuments as a tourist, but to experience the authentic Africa, see where the local people live, work and play. It was an eye-opening journey, full of curiosity, excitement, surprising and sorrow. During this visit, I have visited several youth educational institutes, small hospitals, massive slums and an UN Millennium village. I gave lectures at two national universities and also had quite a few conversations with local artists.

I especially would like to thank Jonathan Fanton, the President Emeritus of MacArthur Foundation; and Kole, the head of MacArthur Foundation office in Nigeria for giving me this amazing opportunity to visit Africa and for arranging such a meaningful trip for me.

Below are some of the photos I took in my trip.

All imges © Shen Wei

Exhibition at Nemo HQ Gallery

Image © Shen Wei

I am very pleased to announce my upcoming two-person show with New York based Chinese-American photographer Jane Tam at Nemo HQ Gallery in Portland, OR. If you are in the area, please stop by.

Sad but Inspired.

The Villa is high above on the hill of the Bellagio village.

Night Ferry on Lake Como.

My residency in Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center was ended last week. It was difficult to leave such a beautiful place and was very sad to say good-bye to all the friends I have made during this month-long residency. The best part of this residency is to meet the scholars and artists from all over the world in all different fields such as writing, music, law, politics and non-for-profit organization. I have learned so much from other residences and was inspired to working on unplanned new projects. Last but not least, I have to thank the director of the center Pilar and the staffs of The Villa to make my stay so very special. This residency definitely is one of those experiences I will never forget.

New Drawing.

Fresh © Shen Wei

A color drawing I made today. My favorite color of today is red.

Passing Varenna.

Across the Lake from Bellagio is another beautiful village called Varenna where the train station is. Every time I take the ferry, I see this little church in the middle of a huge mountain. I am thinking about getting up there next week.

Mint Ice Cream.

© Shen Wei

It is my fresh new re-start to do some drawings and watercolors. I used to love drawing and painting while I was in China. In the past 10 days, I have experimented with some drawings and watercolors. I hope this is something I will continue to do in the future and to intertwine them with my photography work.

Como Rain.

It rains very hard today. The mountains faraway become almost invisible, a different kind of stunning. The village is extra peaceful with the sound of raindrop and the deep gasp of the ferry boats; even the conversation between the local children and the local dogs are disappearing. A perfect afternoon for some sentimental drawings.

Hello from Bellagio.

The morning of Lake Como. © Shen Wei

Lake Sunset. © Shen Wei

It is the third day of my residency at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in Italy. Bellagio is in the heart of Lake Como, at the tip of the peninsular which divided the lake to the shape of a man. I sometimes get very distracted by the absolutely stunning view outside of my windows. Last night, I made a little drawing in my studio, it started very strong, then I kind of ruined it, and then I found a way saved it. This afternoon, as I was eating my lunch in a small rocky beach alone in the nearby village called Varenna, I really wished the time could just stop there.

Inside the Consorzio Di Bonifica

I regret not go to Savignano Italy to see the SI FEST (see details in last entry), but luckily so many of my friends have gone to see it and sent back great photos of the exhibition. The Global Photography 2009 exhibition was shown in this fantastic ancient architecture Consorzio Di Bonifica (Reclamation Consortium). I really love the characteristic interior of the building and the installation of the show. Below is some photos taken by one of the curators Massimo Sordi. Here is any article about the SI Fest by Christian Gattinoni, it is in French, but that's when Google Translate can step in.

Tomorrow I will also go to Italy for the Creative Artist Residency program at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center. I am very excited and can't wait to start working on my new project over there. Hope I will have some amazing journey to share at here in the next few month.

Photo: Massimo Sordi

Alone in the Fog.

Soldier, Chongqing. 2009 © Shen Wei

Street Cleaner, Wuhan, Hubei Province. 2009. © Shen Wei

Girl, Xi'an, Shannxi Province. 2009 © Shen Wei

The Yellow Mountain, Anhui Province. 2008 © Shen Wei

When I travel in China, I was always in and out of the fog, the good fog and the bag fog. I waited for three days to finally see the otherworldly Yellow Mountain flirted by the thin clouds. The city of Chongqing also seems to be permanently marinated in a nurturing moist, while Taiyuan provided me the less pleasant dusty haze.

I love fog - especially when I discover others similar to me, who just like to enjoy a moment of inebriation, alone.