Ranran Fan: 上天入地 Ends of the Earth

Each spring, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art pairs its annual senior studio art majors’ exhibition with a small solo exhibition of recent work by one of the faculty members in the art department. The purpose of the exhibition is to demonstrate the continuing connection and relationship between student and faculty research.

Ranran Fan is a visiting assistant professor of photography and 4D art. Born and raised in China, she was educated at Hong Kong Baptist University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of New Mexico. 

Fan’s exhibition invites viewers to explore both the physical aspects of the installation, as well as a hidden augmented reality that can be viewed with an iPad, as they navigate through the exhibition. 上天入地 Ends of the Earth represents what the artist describes as “a metaphorical spell-casting ceremony” designed to gather energy to treat traumas, restore mental health, and fight against oppressions. It also provides an alternative spatial and temporal dimension to contemplate death. Fan says, “This is where I find alternative solutions and a path to walk out of predicaments and desperation.”

Fan is a device-maker and an artist who works in photography, installation, and performance. Her work has been exhibited internationally including Academy Art Museum (U.S.), SITE Santa Fe (U.S.), Santa Fe Art Institute (U.S.), Tamarind Institute (U.S.), OCT Contemporary Art Terminal (China), and Incheon Marine Asia Photography and Video Festival (Korea). She was nominated as a SITE Scholar at SITE Santa Fe. She received several awards including Exceptional Visual Artist Scholar Award at Sanitary Tortilla Factory (U.S.), Student Award for Innovations in Imaging at Society for Photographic Education (U.S.) and the Shiseido Photographer Prize at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre (China).