Building Bridges of Dialogue Through the Lens—The Artistic Story of Geng Xiaonan
In the art world, the name Geng Xiaonan has been increasingly mentioned in recent years. This young artist, born in Beijing, has burst onto international stages in Hong Kong, New York, Italy, Singapore, and beyond with one experimental video work after another. In just one year, her leap from exhibitor to award winner to judge has shown the world how a young creator is rapidly emerging as a bridge for cross-cultural exchange.
Photo Courtesy:Geng Xiaonan
In the spring of 2025, she presented her documentary Bridges Between Us at the Hong Kong Micro Film Festival. The film explores communication and understanding between Chinese and South Korean youth. It avoids deliberate sentimentality in dialogue and grand narratives, instead capturing the details of life with a delicate lens: the gradual warming of glances between strangers, the awkward yet sincere conversations between cross-border friends. This work resonated with judges and audiences alike, ultimately winning the “Best Documentary of the Year” award. At the awards ceremony, Geng Xiaonan stated, “What I wanted to film is not a story, but a possibility—the possibility that people from different cultural backgrounds can still draw close to one another.”
If the honors in Hong Kong allowed her to first shine, the awards in New York truly brought her to the attention of the international stage. In the same year, her work Freedoms Framed won the Gold Medal at the New York International Art Competition. This experimental film features constant shifts in the lens, dividing spaces, and compressing character movements, creating an atmosphere that is both suffocating and reflective. After viewing the film, audiences commented that it confronts the individual dilemmas of urban life—freedom is sought, yet always constrained by societal frameworks. Geng Xiaonan responded with a single phrase: “I am capturing not just images, but the situations that everyone can experience.”
As these works began to garner awards, her name rapidly appeared at notable events such as the MDS Art Exhibition in Italy and the Singapore International Photography Competition. Awards and exhibitions came one after another, but she did not linger in the joy of her achievements; instead, she focused more on presenting her works to the audience. She emphasized that what she values most is whether the audience is moved while watching and if they can connect the works to their reality.
Geng Xiaonan’s works consistently uphold the principle of “concept first”. She is not content with mere visual documentation; instead, she treats images as a language to pose questions. Her lens captures the tracing of familial memories, the oppressive feeling of urban spaces, and inquiries into individual identity. Critics generally agree that her films are infused with social concern while retaining the warmth of personal narrative. This combination ensures that her works continue to provoke thought beyond the gallery. For this reason, an increasing number of media outlets have begun to report on her story, viewing her as a representative figure exploring “visual publicity”.
In fact, Geng Xiaonan’s growth path itself is a cross-cultural narrative. She completed her undergraduate and master’s studies in the United States, focusing on research themes that involve the creation of mockumentaries and documentaries on cross-national romances. These experiences provided her with firsthand insight into cultural differences and communication challenges. It is precisely these experiences that allow her works to resonate on the international stage. Whether capturing tender moments in cross-national youth dialogues or revealing the stark realities of urban dilemmas, her works respond to the same question: how individuals can find their place within complex social and cultural structures.
Geng Xiaonan’s success showcases a new image of a generation of young artists: they are not satisfied with merely expressing themselves in their local environments but are actively reaching out to the world, placing personal experiences and social concerns within a broader context for dialogue. Her works remind us that the power of imagery lies not in flashy techniques, but in its ability to elicit resonance and reflection from the audience. On her future path, she may continue to use her lens to tell cross-cultural stories or explore more social issues. But regardless of how her direction may change, one thing is certain that she has already made a distinct and independent mark on the international stage.
