Fotografiska Shenzhen Opens Bringing New Perspectives to City Life

Fotografiska, the international hub for photography, art, and culture, announces the opening of Fotografiska Shenzhen on 1 October 2026. Launching with five world-class exhibitions and a dynamic programme of public events, the museum will become a distinctive new landmark for Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area. Developed in partnership with Shenzhen Bay MIXC, Fotografiska Shenzhen is the institution’s fifth location worldwide, following Stockholm, Tallinn, Berlin and Shanghai, and its second in China.

The inaugural season brings together ToiletFotoPaperGrafiska, Prix Pictet’s Storm, Michael Najjar’s Morphing Equilibrium, Shi Guowei’s Festa and the group exhibition Transcendent Realities. From TOILETPAPER’s surreal imagery and Storm’s reflections on global crises to Najjar’s exploration of environmental change, Shi’s hand-coloured photographs and the spatial experiments of Transcendent Realities, the five exhibitions offer distinct ways of seeing and experiencing the world.

A New World-Class Cultural Destination for the Greater Bay Area

Located at Shenzhen Bay MIXC, a new landmark destination for urban life, Fotografiska Shenzhen spans approximately 5,300 square metres, with five galleries, MONA restaurant, an event space and a design concept store. Following their collaboration on Fotografiska Shanghai, Fotografiska and AIM Architecture have reunited to create a new kind of museum for the future, guided by the design concept of “Layers of the Future”. A gallery rising to 8.5 metres accommodates monumental photographic and moving-image works, while a domed event space provides a striking setting for performances and cultural programmes. The design borrows many of the elements from Shanghai, adapting them to this more contemporary and inclusive setting.

Fotografiska Shenzhen will present photography, visual art and new media exhibitions throughout the year, alongside talks, workshops, music and live art performances. Bringing art into everyday life, it offers a new focal point for Shenzhen’s cultural scene. Visitors can encounter diverse photographic cultures and artistic languages in the galleries, gather with friends at MONA, and browse distinctive creative products in the design concept store. Open until 22:00 from Sunday to Thursday and 22:30 on Fridays and Saturdays, the museum offers ample time for after-work visits, evening get-togethers and weekend outings.

Christian Devillers, Managing Director of Fotografiska China, said: “I like to think of Fotografiska Shenzhen as an ‘urban oasis’ — a place where people can recharge and step away from the pressures of everyday life. We connect outstanding international art with Shenzhen’s creative energy, offering the curious people of this young city cultural experiences that are welcoming, open and engaging. When people choose to return again and again, that is the greatest confirmation that we are doing the right thing.”

Liu Jie, General Manager of Shenzhen Bay MIXC, said: “We look forward to working with Fotografiska to enrich the cultural life of Shenzhen Bay and create more natural connections between art and city life. From an exhibition to a conversation, the museum will offer more opportunities for people to come together and bring lasting vitality to Shenzhen Bay’s cultural district.”

Five Inaugural Exhibitions Reveal a Universe of Photography

ToiletFotoPaperGrafiska

TOILETPAPER, founded by Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari, brings ToiletFotoPaperGrafiska to China for the first time. Following presentations in Stockholm and Berlin, the exhibition has been redesigned for the Shenzhen museum, transforming the space into a surreal world of photography, installations, furniture and colour that visitors can freely explore.

TOILETPAPER’s distinctive visual language borrows the polished aesthetics of advertising photography while disrupting familiar narratives of consumption and desire through unexpected combinations of everyday objects. At the heart of the exhibition is the movement of images from the printed page into physical space. Visitors can wander through absurd scenes and hidden details, discovering how humour, allure and unease can coexist.

Prix Pictet Storm

Storm is the latest exhibition from Prix Pictet, the leading global award for photography and sustainability. Bringing together the works of the twelve photographers shortlisted for its eleventh cycle, the exhibition connects storms in the natural world with social upheaval, environmental crises and individual lives. Through images from different regions, Prix Pictet explores destruction, resilience and the possibility of renewal in times of crisis. This is an incredible panorama of some of the most promising contemporary global photographers.

Shi Guowei Festa

Curated by Yang Zi, Shi Guowei’s solo exhibition Festa draws on festive traditions in urban and rural China and the quieter emotions of everyday life. It explores how collective celebration and individual solitude intertwine. Continuing his distinctive practice between photography and painting, Shi applies colour by hand to photographic images, allowing records of reality and subjective perception to coexist. Rather than simply depicting celebrations, the exhibition uses dissonances in colour, texture and composition to create psychologically charged images of elation and melancholy, intimacy and estrangement. The key to viewing these works lies in their details: as colour reconfigures familiar scenes, visitors are invited to look beyond the surface of festivity and into everyday emotions that resist expression.

Michael Najjar Morphing Equilibrium

German artist Michael Najjar’s solo exhibition Morphing Equilibrium brings together art, technology and field exploration to examine the changing relationship between human civilisation and the natural environment amid climate change and technological development. Venturing into extreme environments, from volcanoes to glaciers, Najjar uses photography and digital techniques to reconstruct the landscapes he encounters, holding the Earth’s vitality and vulnerability within the same frame. The exhibition considers the relative stability that can be maintained within change, while revealing how that balance can be continually disturbed. Through 360-degree immersive moving images, viewers move from observing change at a distance to experiencing themselves within it, reflecting on humanity’s role in shaping the planet’s future.

Transcendent Realities

Transcendent Realities brings together works by Fan Xi, Tan Yingjie, Michael Najjar, Marco Brambilla, Cooper & Gorfer and Viviane Sassen, opening a new dialogue in Shenzhen between artistic practices previously encountered at Fotografiska. Through shifts in scale, material and medium, the exhibition explores how images move beyond the frame and enter the realm of spatial experience.

Art and Everyday Life in Seamless Connection

Alongside its year-round exhibitions, Fotografiska Shenzhen will offer a dynamic programme of artist talks and presentations, music, performance art and creative workshops, as well as its well-known “Night At the Museum” party series. Most events will take place in the fifth-floor Dome Lounge performance space, whose dome is a defining architectural feature. The programme will begin in October 2026.

Emma Zhang, General Manager of Fotografiska Shenzhen, said: “Shenzhen is a young, open city where people are eager to share. Here, cultural engagement is less about ‘education’ than ‘participation’. We offer a space where people can find a personal connection, presenting content of an international standard in an approachable and welcoming way.”

Dining is an integral part of the Fotografiska experience. Already a favourite in Shanghai, MONA brings its relaxed and vibrant atmosphere to Shenzhen, with food designed for sharing and gathering around the table. The menu is rooted in Mediterranean flavours, featuring freshly baked pizzas and meat and seafood from the wood-fired grill, complemented by influences from Sichuan and Yunnan. Generous food, good wine and a warm, social setting make MONA a place to meet, share and stay a little longer. MONA opens in Shenzhen in late October 2026 — we look forward to welcoming you around our table.

During the National Day Holiday, we will present a series of artist lectures, forums and other exciting events. Please follow Fotografiska social media to stay tuned.

 

Fotografiska Shenzhen Opening Exhibitions

Address:

L3, C Zone West, Shenzhen Bay MIXC, 1218 Haide 1st Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong

Opening hours: Sunday–Thursday, 10:00–22:00

Friday–Saturday, 10:00–22:30

Tickets:

Regular ticket: RMB 60

Concession ticket: RMB 48

ToiletFotoPaperGrafiska

1 October 2026 – 14 March 2027

Prix Pictet Storm

1 October – 29 November 2026

Artists: Takashi Arai, Marina Caneve, Tom Fecht, Balazs Gardi, Roberto Huarcaya, Alfredo Jaar, Belal Khaled, Hannah Modigh, Baudouin Mouanda, Camille Seaman, Laetitia Vançon, Patrizia Zelano

Shi Guowei Festa

1 October 2026 – 14 March 2027

Artist: Shi Guowei

Curator: Yang Zi

Michael Najjar Morphing Equilibrium

1 October 2026 – 17 January 2027

Artist: Michael Najjar

Transcendent Realities

1 October 2026 – 1 October 2027

Artists: Fan Xi, Tan Yingjie, Michael Najjar, Marco Brambilla, Cooper & Gorfer, Viviane Sassen

ABOUT FOTOGRAFISKA SHENZHEN

Fotografiska, the world’s foremost museum dedicated to photography and visual culture, and Shenzhen Bay MIXC are partnering to open Fotografiska Shenzhen. It becomes Fotografiska’s fifth location worldwide and its first in South China.

Spanning 5,300 square meters, the venue features five galleries presenting world-class photography exhibitions, ranging from masters to emerging artists, and from leading international names to Chinese artists. It also integrates thematic cultural programming, elevated F&B experiences, and a creator-led retail space.

Fotografiska’s concept is built around a comprehensive cultural experience that brings together art and lifestyle. Together, Fotografiska and Shenzhen Bay MIXC are committed to supporting and advancing cultural development in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. Fotografiska Shenzhen serves as a vital platform connecting creativity, the public, and international cultural exchange.

shenzhen.fotografiska.com

ABOUT FOTOGRAFISKA

Fotografiska is the global destination for photography, visual art, and culture. Guided by its belief that photography is the most influential, accessible and inclusive art form of our times, it is the foremost gathering place for photography and visual storytelling – with locations in Stockholm, Berlin, Shanghai, Tallinn, Shenzhen and soon Oslo. Each Fotografiska museum serves as a dynamic hub where culture and community intersect, transforming the way audiences engage with photographic and visual art.

Founded in Stockholm in 2010 and led by its Chairman Yoram Roth, Fotografiska is dedicated to inspiring new perspectives through world-class rotating exhibitions and a dynamic events programme. More than a museum, Fotografiska creates cultural spaces that celebrate creativity, innovation and diverse artistic voices through the unparalleled power of photography.

www.fotografiska.com

ABOUT SHENZHEN BAY MIXC

Shenzhen Bay MIXC sits right in the golden heart of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, surrounded by landmarks like China Resources Tower, Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, and Shenzhen Bay Culture Square. More than just a shopping mall, it’s a next‑generation commercial landmark woven into the city’s fabric — a high‑end destination where fashion, art, and culture meet.

Since opening in December 2018, Shenzhen Bay MIXC has been home to prestigious brands such as CHANEL, LOUIS VUITTON, HERMÈS, and DIOR, alongside nearly 200 other quality brands. After a major refresh and grand reopening in September 2025, the complex introduced nearly 300 new brands, over 120 of which are making their market debut — spanning outdoor sports, high-end beauty, fashion, and lifestyle electronics. Further anchored by over 60,000 square meters of cultural programming, including Fotografiska Shenzhen, Immersive Theater, BASE and The Front Life, the nearly 250,000-square-meter landmark positions itself as a premier mixed-use destination, redefining the Houhai Central Area through the twin pillars of commerce and culture.

ABOUT PRIX PICTET

Prix Pictet was founded by the Geneva-based Pictet Group in 2008 and is recognised today as the world’s leading prize for photography and sustainability. It is independently governed, managed and administered by an independent secretariat and an independent jury, with an advisory board.

For each cycle, the award focuses on a different theme that promotes discussion and debate on issues of sustainability. A network of over 350 nominators, including critics, curators, and other specialists in photography, invites artists from around the world to submit their work. The independent jury creates a shortlist of twelve photographers based on artistic and photographic merit, originality in conception and/or execution, relevance to the current cycle’s theme, ability to address a pressing sustainability challenge, and ensuring their series is a unified and coherent body of work. The jury then selects the winner from the shortlist, and a prize of 100,000 Swiss francs is awarded for a body of work that speaks most powerfully to the theme. Further information about the prize and selection process is available at www.prixpictet.com. The touring exhibitions of Prix Pictet have reached over 1.5 million visitors worldwide.

The winner of Storm was announced on Thursday 25 September 2025, at the opening of an exhibition featuring the twelve shortlisted photographers at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. In July 2026, the Prix Pictet announced Jungle as the theme for its twelfth cycle during the opening week of Les Rencontres d’Arles.

www.prixpictet.com