In 2007, when Chinese photographer Lu Zhirong and his wife, Inri, established Three Shadows, they didn't expect the art center devoted to contemporary photography to flourish.
At the time, there was limited understanding of photography as an art form.
Now, the institution located in Beijing's Caochangdi arts district has evolved into a major platform for Chinese photographers to show their works and exchange ideas with peers, through exhibitions and workshops.
The Three Shadows Photography Award and Exhibition has been organized since 2009 to encourage Chinese photography.
The event, which is held in Beijing annually, draws visitors from home and abroad. This year, the ongoing exhibition runs through June 3.
Nearly 30 photographers have entered experimental works that have been judged by an international panel, including Quentin Bajac, the chief photography curator of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Japanese designer Satoshi Machiguchi.
To Bajac, the creativity and diverse approaches of the photos, as well as the different backgrounds of their creators, show the vigor of Chinese contemporary art.
Lu, 48, aka Rong Rong, tells China Daily: "The up-and-coming forces (of Chinese photography) have mushroomed. It amazes me. Almost a decade has passed since the art center was created, and I'm grateful that more people now identify with our efforts."
For their persistence in promoting the diversity of Chinese photography, Lu and his Japanese wife, who is also a photographer, will be honored by the World Photography Organization with an outstanding contribution award on Thursday in London.
An exhibition will show their works at London's neoclassical building Somerset House, from Friday to May 8.
In a statement, Christopher Phillips, a curator at New York-based International Center of Photography, says: "Three Shadows has done more to encourage the serious appreciation of photography than any other organization in China."
