ZiWU

As an art-driven humanistic and creative ecosystem under Meta Media Group, formerly Modern Media Group, ZiWU the Bridge inspires creativity by seamlessly interweaving contemporary life with intellectual experiences — embodying the concept of a “Space Zine.”

ZiWU is a three-dimensional fashion space zine, bringing together knowledge, fashion, art, and lifestyle. It is a creative space that can be seen, heard, touched, and felt, as well as a spiritual home for urban cultural omnivores. ZiWU the Bridge Shanghai was officially founded in 2017. In April 2021, ZiWU the Port Beijing opened to the public. In 2025, the new YUAN LINK launched at Zhangyuan in Shanghai, continuing to build sustainable and diverse cultural and artistic spaces for the city.

Booth Highlights:

At this year’s PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, ZiWU presents Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen, alongside three artists recommended by Modern Weekly: photographer Zhu Qian, AI creator Ma Shenghuan, and Li Yongqi.

Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen has lived in Asia for more than 30 years and now travels between Amsterdam and Hong Kong. His photography project began in 2015 and has taken him to nearly 20 cities across China. Centered on street cats, the project documents old streets and alleyways that are gradually disappearing. His works are not only portraits of cats, but also a tribute to local Chinese culture and heritage.

Zhu Qian is a Shanghai-based photographer and snapshot enthusiast who continues to express his personal perspective through restrained and concise visual language in the age of AI. Ma Shenghuan is active in Shanghai as an art director, combining live-action photography with AI-generated imagery to reconstruct the mechanisms and logic of image production. Li Yongqi, also known as Frankie, is a fashion film director and art director, winner of the Best AI-Generated Film Award at the 17th ASVOFF. Frequently traveling between Paris and Shanghai, he is dedicated to merging traditional photographic methods with AI visual technologies.

For this presentation, the three artists were invited to co-create works focusing on fragmented experiences in women’s everyday lives and the hidden anxieties within them. Through AI-generated technology, emotions that are difficult to articulate are translated into perceptible visual forms. Moving from image to film, the works combine AI-generated imagery and live-action stop-motion animation within a retro aesthetic framework. The grain, dissolves, and dislocations naturally produced by AI in frame-by-frame motion become visual metaphors for psychological anxiety, creating a strong alignment between the characteristics of the technology and the themes of the work.

Participating Artists:
Marcel Heijnen, Zhu Qian, Ma Shenghuan, Li Yongqi