Shanghai gets ready for biannual art season
An art space at the landmark Columbia Circle for the 2021 Shanghai Urban Space Art Season.
Shanghai's biannual urban space art season will open on September 24 and run through November 20 to showcase the theme of "coexistence" across 20 exhibition areas in the city.
The art season aims to promote harmonious coexistence between people and nature. It combines professionalism, foresight, inclusiveness and artistic elements, Wang Weiren, deputy secretary general of the city government, told a press briefing on Friday.
The Shanghai Urban Space Art Season 2023, the fourth since it was initiated in 2015, would integrate with various ongoing projects related to urban planning, urban renewal and the development of new cities in the city's outskirts, Wang said.
The exhibitions will include a main thematic area on the West Bund in Xuhui District. It will feature the Dome Art Center and a transformed warehouse, an industrial heritage on the waterfront.
Visitors can explore over 20 works displayed along the riverside, including interactive art installations and ecological scenes.
A visitor takes a photo of an art installation along the Huangpu River.
Six key exhibition areas will highlight the green ecology of the Yangtze River Delta region and the five "new cities" of Jiading, Qingpu, Songjiang, Fengxian and Nanhui.
The demonstration area in the Yuandang region will serve as a benchmark for ecological restoration and waterfront development.
Parks within the new cities will also incorporate the art season, further enhancing the ecological environment and creating urban tourism destinations.
Another 13 exhibition areas will showcase practical case studies that demonstrate unique ecological and sustainable development projects in each local district.
The public is encouraged to visit these areas, enjoy the displays, participate in outdoor activities, and provide valuable suggestions, according to the organizers.
The return of the Urban Space Art Season to Xuhui riverside after a decade is expected to garner global attention, said Gao Shiyun, deputy director of Xuhui.
The district will leverage its open waterfront space, ecological landscapes, and historical heritage to curate display content centered around the theme of "a more sustainable ecological city," Gao said.
A visitor takes photos at an art exhibition in Pudong's Shenhai Village.
The event aims to gather suggestions, facilitate effective planning and foster development in the area through international exchanges and public participation, Gao added.
Efforts to revitalize the southern region of the riverside will involve transforming the pre-settling pool of the city's early cement factory into the Dome Art Center.
This transformation will integrate space, art, landscapes, and ecology to enhance the overall quality, integration, and vitality of the area, positioning it as a world-class riverside destination, Gao said.
Through the art season and further development, the aspiration for Shanghai's West Bund is to become a distinguished symbol comparable to the Left Bank of Paris and the South Bank of London, he added.
