Photography exhibition of ‘hidden genius’ Vivian Maier in Beijing
A self-portrait on display at Today Art Museum in Beijing is among more than 80 works by Vivian Maier at an ongoing exhibition entitled “Hidden Genius, Finding Vivian Maier,” which will run until June 30, 2021. The American amateur street photographer lived her life in obscurity as a nanny and caregiver in the suburbs of Chicago. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
More than 80 self-portraits taken by late American photographer Vivian Maier are being exhibited in Beijing.
“Her self-portraits are very different from selfies that enjoy a high level of popularity today. She showed the least intention to make herself look pretty in those self-portraits but rather put on a stony expression. For her, photography served as a spiritual pursuit,” explains Zhang Ran, curator of the Today Art Museum where the exhibition is being held.
A self-portrait on display at Today Art Museum in Beijing is among more than 80 works by Vivian Maier at an ongoing exhibition entitled “Hidden Genius, Finding Vivian Maier,” which will run until June 30, 2021. The American amateur street photographer lived her life in obscurity as a nanny and caregiver in the suburbs of Chicago. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
Without a day of training, Vivian Maier was an amateur street photographer who lived her life in obscurity as a nanny and caregiver in the suburbs of Chicago, while producing an expansive body of photographic work that became a media sensation in late 2010, nearly two years after her death.
She’d taken over 100,000 photos on her own, but never showed them to others until she had to sell some of her possessions to make ends meet in her later years.
Her work has been described as on the forefront of the way photography and subjects in motion are captured, as she often shot images in a mirrored reflection.
A self-portrait on display at Today Art Museum in Beijing is among more than 80 works by Vivian Maier at an ongoing exhibition entitled “Hidden Genius, Finding Vivian Maier,” which will run until June 30, 2021. The American amateur street photographer lived her life in obscurity as a nanny and caregiver in the suburbs of Chicago. [Photo: provided to China Plus]
Many of her photos document life on American streets from 1950 to 1990. In the 1950s, the “American dream” originated around the idea that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, could attain their own version of success in a society in which upward mobility is possible for everyone.
“Despite the American-dream concept, the lower class stuck in the same sphere. We transported from Chicago some old-time furniture to help recreate the scenes and allow visitors to better immerse themselves in this exhibition,” added Zhang Ran.
The “Hidden Genius, Finding Vivian Maier” exhibition will run until June 30.
The exhibition “Hidden Genius, Finding Vivian Maier” opened on March 20, 2021, at Today Art Museum in Beijing.[Photo: provided to China Plus]