About Us 私たちについて
RongRong&inri
(日本語)
RongRong (China) and inri (Japan) are a photographic duo who have been working collaboratively since 2000. Through the medium of photography, their work explores and expresses the possibilities of human connection and interaction in an experimental and poetic manner.
Their major works include “In Fujisan, Japan, 2001,” “Liulitun, Beijing” (1996–2003), and “Tsumari Story” (2012–2014). These projects reflect their shared life and surroundings, while continuously probing the potential of photographic expression to capture human existence and relationships within a rapidly changing society.
Activities and Base
In 2007, they established the “Three Shadows Photography Art Centre” in the Caochangdi Art District of Beijing. The name “Three Shadows” is derived from a saying by Laozi: “The Way gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three begets ten thousand things.” Founded with the hope that photography (shadows) would become a source of infinite possibilities, the center’s architecture was designed by artist Ai Weiwei.
Since 2008, they have hosted the “Three Shadows Photography Award (TSPA)” to discover and support emerging photographers in China. From 2010 to 2012, in collaboration with “Thinking Hands,” they co-organized “Caochangdi PhotoSpring – Arles in Beijing,” an official satellite event of the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival. This brought together galleries in Caochangdi and the 798 Art District to realize Beijing’s first international photography festival.
In 2015, they opened a branch of Three Shadows in Xiamen, Fujian Province, continuing their activities under the new title “Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival.” That same year, they also hosted the 33rd “Oracle Meeting,” expanding the international dialogue and exchange surrounding photography in China.
Life and Career
RongRong
Born in 1968 in Fujian Province, China, RongRong is the co-founder of the Three Shadows Photography Art Centre and the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival.
He moved to Beijing in 1992, and the following year began creating work in a suburban village where artists gathered―an area that would later become known as the “East Village.” There, alongside artists such as Zhang Huan and Ma Liuming, he photographed the birth of experimental performance art, exploring photography not merely as a means of documentation but as a profound method of self-expression.
In 1996, with the aim of opening up new horizons for photographic expression in China, he co-founded the avant-garde photography magazine NEWPHOTO. The publication challenged conventional notions of photography and became a vital platform for introducing the ideas and expressions of young photographers to both domestic and international audiences.
RongRong has since continued to release work that captures Beijing’s urban landscape and the transformations brought about by rapid redevelopment. In 2003, he published RongRong’s East Village, followed by RongRong’s Diary: Beijing East Village in 2019.
inri
Born in 1973 in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, inri was inspired to pursue photography during high school after encountering Domon Ken’s photo book “Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples.” She graduated from the Nippon Photography Institute in 1994 and began her career as a photographer in the publishing photo department of “The Asahi Shimbun” in Tokyo. In 1997, she became a freelance photographer, turning her focus toward more personal and experimental forms of expression.
Between 1996 and 2000, she created a number of series―including “1999 Tokyo,” “MAXIMAX,” “Gray Zone,” and “Self-Portrait”―through which she deepened her exploration of self and refined her expressive techniques. In 2020, she published the photo book “Symposion – About Love,” which brings together these early works into a cohesive reflection on intimacy and existence.
The Encounter and the Beginning of Collaboration
In 1999, RongRong met inri during a visit to Tokyo, where he was participating in an exhibition as a representative of the “NEWPHOTO”. Although they did not share a common language, they communicated by tracing characters onto each other’s palms with their fingers. Through this unique form of dialogue, RongRong was deeply moved by inri’s profound understanding.
They continued to stay in touch through fax and phone calls, and RongRong invited inri to Beijing several times. Despite only exchanging simple words, the two connected through photography. Nine months later, inri felt it was fate and traveled to Beijing―this journey marked the beginning of their collaborative work.
Current Activities
Since 2015, RongRong and inri have been based in Kyoto, where they began creating the “Jifei Kyoto” series. In 2021, this body of work was presented at the Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum and KYOTOGRAPHIE Kyoto International Photography Festival. The series has since evolved into the broader “Jifei Photography” project.
As part of this project, they established “Jifei-an” as a space for experimental creation and presentation. With each exhibition taking on a different form, they continue to explore new possibilities in the expression and philosophy of photography.
In recent years, their work has been exhibited and collected by major museums around the world, including M+ (Hong Kong), Haus der Kunst (Munich), the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Tate Modern (London), the Hirshhorn Museum (Washington, D.C.), the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris), the International Center of Photography (New York), and the High Museum of Art (Atlanta).
Awards
• 2016: Sony World Photography Awards – Outstanding Contribution to Photography
• 2022: Japan Photography Society Awards – International Award