30 Oct Ocula's Ultimate Guide to Shanghai Art Week
Source Credit: Content and images from Ocula Magazine. Read the original article - https://ocula.com/magazine/features/shanghai-art-week-guide-2024/
Visitors flock to Shanghai this month for ART021 (7–10 November) and West Bund Art & Design (8–10 November), two fairs that have shaped the city’s cultural rhythm for over a decade. We’ve compiled an itinerary of the best exhibitions and events to visit during the week in Shanghai and surrounds.
Before arrival, ensure you have roaming data or a VPN to access apps and communication channels blocked in China. Essential apps include Alipay for payments in this wallet-free city, Apple Maps instead of Google, WeChat as a WhatsApp alternative, Didi for taxis, and Shanghai Metro.
Friday 1 November: Early Arrivals
For those arriving before the fair, nearby cities Nanjing, Suzhou, and Hangzhou offer plenty to explore. Reserve your train ticket on Trip.
In Nanjing, a two-hour journey from Shanghai, Monster Chetwynd‘s Asia debut Monster & The Nocturnal Pollinators is on view at Beiqiu Museum of Contemporary Art (until 17 November), while G Museum hosts a group show (until 24 November) loosely themed around culinary ingredients.
Exhibition view: Monster Chetwynd, Monster & The Nocturnal Pollinators, Beiqiu Museum of Contemporary Art, Shanghai (10 August–17 November 2024). Courtesy the artist and Beiqiu Museum of Contemporary Art.
En route from Shanghai to Nanjing, Suzhou’s Museum of Wu Culture presents Liu Jianhua‘s intervention (until 9 May 2025), embedding his porcelain works among ancient artefacts and styling them to mirror the museum’s official display, inviting reflections on institutional norms.
In Shanghai, don’t miss Sour Things at NYU Shanghai’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (until 21 December), where Palestinian artist Mirna Bamieh has used personal recipes and fermentation processes to create poetic spaces that address displacement.
A comfortable walking distance brings you to The Pool by X Museum, presenting the group show of 15 artists, Zhilan: A Glance in Urban Garden (until 1 December), exploring contemporary interpretations of gardens.
Be sure to catch a special screening of Luka Yuanyuan Yang’s feature-length film, Chinatown Cha-cha (2024), at 7:30 pm on 1 November at Duo Yun Xuan Art Center near Longhua Station (take Line 11 from Oriental Sports Center station for two stops). The film brings to life the golden era of San Francisco’s Chinatown through a spirited ensemble of Chinese American dancers on trips to Cuba and China.
Hangzhou’s Contemporary Art Week
A one-hour train ride from Shanghai is the city of Hangzhou, which launches its own Contemporary Art Week from 1 to 18 November. We recommend booking at least one night’s accommodation in Hangzhou.
Begin at By Art Matters, a Renzo Piano-designed private museum currently hosting a major exhibition of Peter Fischli‘s works, curated by Francesco Bonami (until 30 March 2025). Upstairs in the museum, a group exhibition titled Prosodic Grains unfolds around the theme of sensual rhythm (until 30 March 2025).
Oliver Beer, Cat Orchestra (2024). 37 hollow containers and sculptures, pedestals, microphones, speakers, sound equipment. Dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist and Almine Rech Gallery.
In the same compound, non-profit Imago Kinetics presents a survey show curated by Asia Art Archive senior researcher Anthony Yung, examining the legacy of two late artists, Huang Xiaopeng and the space’s founder Geng Jianyi.
Consider visiting the Zhuantang area, where many artists have set up studios and commercial galleries like Hunsand Space and Inna Art Space have settled. A highlight is Riverside, an art bar in a mixed-use building that also houses art cram schools and studios, showcasing installations by Zhang Liaoyuan (until 25 November).
Hangzhou’s emerging and alternative spaces include Martin Goya Business, ScheinSpace, Imaginary Z, and cuspdot, which are scattered around the picturesque West Lake and Wushan Hill (expect pleasant views but heavy weekend traffic). The up-and-coming Zian Gallery, despite its secluded location, is also worth a visit.
Coinciding with Hangzhou Art Week is a two-day symposium hosted by China Academy of Arts, ‘Intermission: Curatorial Studies/Education’. English-language sessions, moderated by Lu Jie and Johnson Chang with some-dozen international curators, take place on 3 November, and Mandarin sessions with emerging practitioners on 4 November.
Monday 4 November: East Pudong
Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy (until 28 February 2025) at Modern Art Museum Shanghai is a significant survey of the performance icon, occupying all four floors of the converted warehouse. Bookings essential.
Exhibition view: Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy, MAM Shanghai (10 October 2024–28 February 2025). Courtesy MAM Shanghai. Photo: Yu Jieyu.
Take the metro east to Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Station, where Pudong’s HOW Art Museum opens Cao Shu’s first institutional show in Shanghai, Afterglow and Theremin (4 November 2024–16 February 2025), surveys his works made with repurposed software and hardware that explore historical events and familial memories. Additionally, transdisciplinary media artist Shen Shaomin presents three installations on human nature and metabolism.
Open late on Mondays, Museum of Art Pudong‘s current exhibitions include J.M.W. Turner, El Anatsui commission, and an expansive retrospective by Cao Fei (until 17 November).
Tuesday 5 November: Cc Foundation, Prada Rong Zhai
At Cc Foundation (founded by ART021 co-founder), four exhibitions kick off the week. Julian Abraham ‘Togar’ will perform at 6:20 pm, activating his experimental spatial-sonic presentation, An OK_space To Rest.
Beijing-based artist Liu Wei presents an immersive kinetic installation production, Liberation Routes; Minerva Cuevas’ 12-metre mural weaves Mesoamerican and Chinese imagery to examine environmental justice; and a collection exhibition titled Painting with Light that delves into photography’s evolving role in social change.
Liu Wei’s installation at Cc Foundation (rendering). Courtesy the artist.
If you’re not heading to the UCCA Gala, stop by 33ml, one of the city’s few artist-run spaces, just minutes away from Cc Foundation. The basement venue presents a solo project by emerging artist Mimi, whose works span collage zines and striking, grotesque installations, and will culminate in a stand-up performance (in Chinese) by the artist at 8 pm.
Catch a taxi or hop on the nearby BRT bus 71 to Prada Rong Zhai, where Shuang Li‘s solo show, Distance of the Moon, is on view. Following Li’s recent acclaim at the Swiss Institute and the Whitney Biennial, the exhibition presents a new series of video installations inspired by a childhood letter to the artist’s mother. (Expect strict entry checks—have your QR code ready!)
Wednesday 6 November: Sycamore Area, ART021 Preview
Start with short taxi rides on the outer rim of the Sycamore area, where chi K11 Art Museum hosts solo shows by César Piette and Wang Tianxin (6 November 2024–16 February 2025), and ASE Foundation, a collector’s club and art library, presents a group show of 22 women artists (6 November 2024–28 February 2025). At Nan Ke Gallery nearby, former Rijksakademie resident artist Peng Zhang explores symbolic ties to European soil (until 10 November).
Exhibition view: Peng Zhang, Nostalgia, Nan Ke Gallery, Shanghai (29 September–10 November 2024). Courtesy Nan Ke Gallery. Photo by Runxin.
Take another short ride to Studio Gallery‘s Distant Nature (until 10 November), a three-person show that has transformed its space into a photography set for still-life and landscape wall pieces amid soft sculptures.
From there, a ten-minute walk west leads to BANK, showcasing Bony Ramirez’s painterly explorations of ballet training and Chen Ruofan’s subtle textile-painting installation (2 November 2024–4 January 2025).
Nearby, discover Cai Zebin‘s latest paintings at Capsule Shanghai‘s 1930s garden house (2 November 2024–25 January 2025). A quick walk to the next parallel street brings you to Zheng Zhilin’s solo exhibition at LINSEED (5 November–28 December 2024).
From here, head southwest to reach Leo Gallery for Chen Kai and Nicole Phungrasamee Fein (3 November 2024–5 January 2025) together with E.SCAPE Art Space nearby, or venture east to Blunt Society, where artist Ni Youyu curates solo exhibitions by Li Tao and Gao Lei, which highlight their shared tactile approach to installations (5 November 2024–19 January 2025).
Li Tao, Small Kitchen Treasue (Baby Girl) (2024). Stainless steel components, dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist.
At the end of a long gallery hop, Pearl Lam‘s new residency project, 70 Square Metres, presents their second show with Moses Hamborg, available by appointment only (but you can catch the public opening) (6 November–14 December 2024).
A five-minute walk brings you to Dumonteil, featuring sculptures by Étienne-Martin and Robert Couturier (until 16 November). Conclude your day by catching subway Line 1 by the gallery, or head to a nearby club to continue the evening. And after all these, get ready for the U.S. election results!
Thursday 7 November: Power Station of Art, West Bund
At the Power Station of Art, the opening of Yin Xiuzhen‘s Piercing the Sky (9 November 2024–16 February 2025) is not to be missed before heading over to West Bund.
Yin Xiuzhen, Flying Machine (2008). Mixed media, used clothes, stainless steel, planks, car, tractor. 353 x 1592 x 1220 cm. Courtesy the artist.
Occupying the museum’s expansive first floor, the show marks a milestone in its Chinese contemporary collection series, which has previously featured only male artists. Other programmes on view include a Chanel exhibition (until 24 November) and two Emerging Curators Projects (until 10 November).
The former power station-turned institution was among venues that hosted Expo Shanghai 2010. Nearby, World Expo Museum is showcasing a public collection of works and archival materials of modern painter Pan Yuliang (until 10 November), co-organised by Anhui Museum in her hometown. A short distance away, Centre d’Art Rodin opened just months ago.
Pan Yuliang, Seated Female Figure, Combing (1963). Colour ink on paper. 90 x 64 cm. Courtesy World Expo Museum.
The riverside taxi ride to West Bund is usually traffic-free, but calling a cab in this outlying area may be difficult during rush hour. In West Bund, the landscape has transformed with galleries being evicted in June.
To avoid the bustle of West Bund Art & Design’s VIP preview, there is West Bund Museum next door, presenting Another Avant-Garde: Photography 1970–2000 (8 November 2024–16 February 2025) as part of its multi-year collaboration with the Centre Pompidou. On view is also A Cloud in Trousers: Painting Today (until 5 January 2025), a group show featuring 23 Chinese painters.
Liang Hao, Spins (2024). Oil on canvas. 200 x 150 cm. Courtesy the artist and BANK.
TANK, a private museum inside repurposed aircraft fuel tanks, presents three programmes, including Pictures of the Post-80s Generation (6 November 2024–4 May 2025), a survey of 35 mid-career Chinese artists, and solo shows by Patricia Ayres (6 November 2024–28 February 2025) and Issy Wood (6 November 2024–19 January 2025). (A series of performances will begin by Tong Wenmin at 4 pm on Wednesday the 6th and run into the evening.)
If you arrive at West Bund via subway Line 11, pop by Archipelago Books, an art bookshop located directly above the station. A collaborative project (4 November–3 December 2024) by Marc Nagtzaam and Ikuhisa Sawada that explores the intersections of sketching, artist books, and photography is on display.
Exploring beyond classic art zones like Pudong and West Bund reveals Shanghai’s authentic soul. Shanghai’s oldest contemporary art venue, Duolun Museum of Modern Art, presents a video group show featuring top works from the past year nationwide (until 23 February 2025).
Friday 8 November: Suzhou Creek District
As the northern bank of Suzhou Creek emerges as the next destination for art spaces in Shanghai, SUHE HAUS has turned a Republican-era warehouse into gallery space for collections and pop-up shows, timely accommodating galleries that have relocated from West Bund.
On the ground floor, the group show Three-Body Art Project: Prologue–First Contact (9 November 2024–8 February 2025) draws inspiration from Liu Cixin’s 2008 sci-fi novel Three Body Problem. Featuring 15 artists, the exhibition speculates on extreme scenarios of the more-than-human condition.
On the same floor, non-profit CHERUBY will present a pop-up show by Duyi Han (8 November 2024–25 January 2025), presenting artefacts of striking sensual precision and cultural ambivalence.
Upstairs, ShanghART Gallery announces a soft launch of its SUHE space with a group show (8 November–1 December 2024), and the adjacent Don Gallery features a solo exhibition by Zhang Yunyao (8 November–8 December 2024).
Further up, Longlati Foundation showcases solo exhibitions by Sarah Buckner and Henni Alftan (8 November 2024–18 January 2025).
Nearby, the newly founded Fotografiska presents Elizaveta Porodina’s Un/Masked, exploring emotions with clinical precision (7 November 2024–16 February 2025). Other exhibitions on view include Marvellous Realism, a group show curated by Ekow Eshun (until 1 December) and solo exhibitions by Li Weiyi and Chen Wei (both until 12 January 2025). The institution will also host a music performance by Chen’s dance music label Uncertain Voltage from 9 to 11 pm.
Michael MacGarry, Excuse me, while I disappear (2015). 19:10 mins. © Michael MacGarry.
A ten-minute riverside walk east brings you to the former OCT Contemporary Art Terminal compound, currently home to several prominent local galleries. Gabriel Lester‘s solo show at Vanguard Gallery marks his ‘homecoming’ as the artist once called Shanghai home before an eight-year absence (2 November–29 December 2024). His return features immersive, scenario-driven works that blend his early sound and light installations.
Next door, Antenna-tenna, an alternative project by Antenna Space, presents Guillaume Dénervaud’s latest series of dreamy paintings and crystal ball installations, evoking a psychedelic aesthetic (2 November–23 December 2024).
Third Street Gallery, an emerging artist-run commercial space known for its inventive use of warehouse and aisle spaces, showcases works by five emerging artists exploring themes of social pathologisation (2 November 2024–11 January 2025). In the same compound, MadeIn Gallery opens a solo show by emerging artist Feng Zhixuan (4 November 2024–4 January 2025).
Wrap up your day with a solo performance by Wang Ximan—a must-see previously highlighted by ArtReview China‘s Future Greats—that is set to start at 7:30 pm at K11 by Vortex, a 20-minute subway ride away.
Wang Ximan, Le rêve, dieu des sauvages (2024). Performance. Courtesy the artist and MadeIn Gallery.
Saturday 9 November: Rockbund Art Museum, ShanghART WB Central, and Beyond
Today’s highlight is a friendly competition between Rockbund Art Museum (RAM)’s performance and lecture programme and ShanghART at West Bund Central. From 1:30 to 8:30 pm, RAM’s ‘Breaking the Waves’ features the Hangzhou-based collective Tproject (2:30), Bhenji Ra (3:45), and Taloi Havini (4:30), among others.
At ShanghART West Bund, curator Philippe Pirotte presents a solid group show (9 November 2024–5 January 2025) by 11 artists, including Cheikh Ndiaye and Than Sok from Pirotte’s 2024 Busan Biennale. The event opens with a durational performance by Melati Suryodarmo from 5 to 8 pm.
Melati Suryodarmo, Fracture (2023). Performance still at Esplanade Singapore. Courtesy Melati Suryodarmo and ShanghArt Gallery, Shanghai/Beijing/Singapore.
Other exhibitions to see at West Bund include START Museum’s presentation of works by Ao Jing, Yan Bing, and Huang Bingjie (5 November–25 December 2024); and Daniel Crews-Chubb and Wang Yuyang at Long Museum (7 November 2024–5 January 2025).
Meanwhile, on the Bund, Rockbund Art Museum is showcasing the work of Rindon Johnson (until 6 April 2025), in which trans-Pacific imagery intertwines poetry with conceptual exploration.
Exhibition view: Rindon Johnson: Best Synthetic Answer, Rockbund Art Museum, Shanghai (21 September 2024–6 April 2025). © Rockbund Art Museum. Photo: Cra.
Across the street, Amber Building, Shanghai’s version of H Queen’s, houses Lisson Gallery (Anish Kapoor, 2 November 2024–January 2025), Almine Rech (En Iwamura and Jean-Baptiste Bernadet, until 28 December), and Perrotin (Ali Banisadr and Amy Cutler, 6 November 2024–21 December 2025). Nearby, Ota Fine Arts exhibits Tomoko Kashiki, while the independent pop-up StillShow by Stilllife is also in the block (2–11 November).
A five-minute walk west brings you to Pearl Lam Galleries, featuring Zhu Peihong (until 18 November). Heading south on the nearest main street, you’ll find HIVE’s Shanghai outposts featuring Zhang Ji and Fu Liang (6 November–11 December). Nearby, Goethe-Institut Shanghai features emerging German and Chinese artists in collaboration with Swatch Art Peace Hotel’s artist residency programme (6–29 November 2024).
Xie Molin, Suspending Blade · Dunhuang 24. 1. 15 (2024). Acrylic on canvas, 150 x 245 cm. Courtesy the artist.
On your way to West Bund, plan to stop by Gallery Vacancy (Henry Curchod, 8 November–21 December) and the Norman Foster-designed Fosun Foundation (Xie Molin, 6 November–8 December), as both are slightly off the main path.
If you have leftover energy, save it for the M50 district. Once home to artist studios in former textile factory workshops, the area has evolved into a gallery hub led by major players like Antenna Space (Joseph Yaeger, 6 November 2024–4 January 2025) and ShanghART (Zhang Ding until 1 December), alongside emerging galleries such as M Art Space, Brownie Project, Blank Gallery, and Ginkgo Space.
In the same compound, the Chronus Art Center dedicated to media art research recently welcomed artist-scholars Xi Lei and Aven Le Zhou as their new research fellows, with an opening set for the 8th. —[O]
Source Credit: Content and images from Ocula Magazine. Read the original article - https://ocula.com/magazine/features/shanghai-art-week-guide-2024/