Renowned international photographer and contemporary American artist Stephen Shore’s retrospective exhibition opened in Beijing on September 14th. During his lecture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing on September 19th, he left the stage midway due to dissatisfaction with many audience members looking down at their phones.
According to the official public account of the art museum at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Stephen Shore’s lecture topic was “Five transformative experiences that shaped my life and how they led me to become an artist,” which was also live-streamed.
On September 20th, a netizen posted, “Many people in the audience were looking down at their phones the entire time, causing Stephen Shore to leave the stage during the lecture.” This news sparked a heated discussion.
A video recorded by a netizen and shared on social media showed Stephen Shore, through an on-site translator, saying to the audience, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I must say sorry first because what I’m about to say may be a bit offensive.”
Shore, through the on-site translator, told the audience, “Since I’m talking about attention today, and you know I’m talking about attention, I think you should understand the importance of attention in everyday life. However, I noticed that many of you here today were looking at your phones from the beginning to the end. You came here specifically to listen to this lecture, yet you couldn’t focus your attention. How can you then pay attention to what you eat on a regular basis or the feeling of the sun on your skin? Let’s end it here for today. That’s fine.”
Subsequently, Shore stepped down from the podium and returned to the audience seating.
The host on the stage said, “In today’s lecture by Professor Shore, the most important message conveyed to us is, concentrate! Concentrate! Concentrate!”
Public information shows that since 1982, Stephen Shore has served as the head of the photography department at Bard College. His works have been displayed in multiple prestigious galleries, and he has published over thirty photography works.