3 Photography Exhibits for Everyone This Weekend at Ramo, The Bookworm, and Crossroads Center

While there's never a shortage of art exhibits to choose from in Beijing, many reach a haughtiness that can be off-putting and inaccessible to the casual attendee. If, like me, you're intrigued by what galleries have to offer while also feeling too ill-informed to explore the scene every weekend, then photography exhibits may provide the perfect fix, offering accessibility that doesn't come at the expense of artistry.

Three such events – each showcasing works with intriguing concepts – are taking place soon at equally offbeat venues. Whether you like your photography made up of intimately personal closeups or outdoorsy panoramas, rural landscapes or urban dwellings, candid shots or abstract images, you're sure to find something you enjoy this weekend.

Until Jul 31, 9.30am-5.30pm, Crossroads Center: 'If the Body Could Talk' by Lyu Rui
Salacious as its title may sound, this exhibit's focus on the female form comes staunchly from a woman's perspective (rather than an exploitative one). Up-and-coming photographer Lyu Rui uses artful and black-and-white closeups of nude subjects that are meant to make the exhibit's attendees wonder, and attempt to answer, one grand thematic question: "How can women use a visual language to express their feelings and explore the world?"

July 22, 4-9pm, Ramo: 'The Vernissage' by Aluss
This one will please shutterbugs and high-brow art devotees alike. That's because Vass modifies his shots in such a colorful and playful way that has lead his peers to call him "China’s first stream-of-consciousness photographer." Hailing from Inner Mongolia, the burgeoning photographer trains his lens on grasslands, horses, and other bucolic scenes that exemplify China's rustic side. All the works on display will be available for purchase at what the coordinators insist is a very low cost.

July 23, 3pm, The Bookworm: 'People of Beijing' With Tan Siok Siok
This photo book captures hutong life from the vantage of Tan Siok Siok (pictured at top), a filmmaker, entrepreneur, author, and former executive producer for Discovery Channel Asia. These stark black-and-white images vividly convey alleyway living in all its gritty glory. In 2011 she made a name for herself with the documentary Twittamentary which was praised as much for the then-novel use of crowdfunding as for its content about social media interaction. Caravan and Gulu Bazz (formerly Cuju) founder Badr Benjelloun will moderate the talk.

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Photos: Reuters, courtesy of the organizers