AN important exhibition of contemporary work from Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong forms the centrepiece of the Arts Festival's photography section, and represents the first large-scale attempt to compare and contrast the post-1970 development of modern photographic styles in the three locales.
Featuring more than 200 pictures from 39 prominent photographers, the exhibition examines a wide spectrum of aesthetic, social and cultural conditions.
The range of approaches is equally eclectic - documentary, experimental, mixed media and self-conscious ''art'' photography - but an exciting revelation is the widespread use of an innovative and powerful visual language.
The development of photographic experimentation in China had long been hindered by political and propagandist considerations, but following the emergence of historical photography during the April 5 Movement in 1976, works including personalised reflections of reality became increasingly acceptable.
Picturesque and salon photography staged a brief revival in the early 1980s, but by the end of the decade more conceptually challenging work, including abstract photography, returned to prominence.
The central quest in Taiwanese photography since 1970 has been to define a clear cultural and ethnic identity. This was initially sought through work with deliberate literary references, then moved into the international ''mindscape'' concept of Quo YingSheng.