Festivities sealed with a kiss
Shanghai Xintiandi Style Mall is filled with a festive mood, featuring large-scale installations, knit works and various activities, under the theme “kiss”.
“Kissing is seldom taken as the theme of artworks because in oriental culture, people restrain themselves from expressing their emotions,” says Jiang Shan, curator of the exhibition.
“Through the exhibition, we hope to encourage people to be confident and brave in expressing their love.”
Inside the mall, which spans a large area from Zizhong Lu (Road) to Fuxingnan Lu (Road), dozens of colorful ornaments, including balloons, lollipops and lip-shaped decorations are hung on the walls and from the ceiling.
Among the decorations, a bright-colored woven-wool artwork attracts most eyeballs and evokes a feeling of warmth.
The designer, Gu Yeli, says the art piece, Kiss Forest, was inspired by US artist AndyWarhol’s 1963 experimental film
Kiss, which featured various couples kissing for three and a half minutes each. Gu also organizes a small workshop to teach knitting to children.
Artist Wang Xuejun sets up a stainless-steel mirror at the mall’s gate leading to Zizhong Lu (Road).
Visitors, including men, are invited to put on lipstick and kiss the mirror, thus kissing themselves.
The Beast Floral Shop, an avant-garde flower shop in Shanghai, contributes two walls of flowers that are made into the shape of a book, named Kiss Book. Artifacts of bees and butterflies are installed among the blossoms, kissing the flowers. The work represents love and harmony in nature.
Architect Ma Ke creates a Kiss Bridge with transparent acrylic boards and ceramic fishbowls. Bridges are often spots for dating lovers in traditional Chinese folklore and the goldfish in the bowls are witnesses of the lovers’ kisses.
In the south plaza, an 18-meter-high interactive tree-shaped light installation encourages people to kiss. Each kiss activates a light sequence, reminding audiences of their sweet childhood memories of kisses and embraces.
At the side of the tree is a counter, in which each kiss is counted and represents a donation to charity organizations.