Elevating creativity
The recently unveiled Art Tower in Shanghai is off to a flying start by hosting the Shanghai International Artwork Trade Month and other exhibitions, Zhang Kun reports.
The second Shanghai International Artwork Trade Month kicked off at the new Art Tower on the West Bund in Xuhui district on Oct 16.
More than 100 art fairs and other trading events are expected to take place during the month, including three large art fairs, and important auction previews and events by Christies and Rongbaozhai.
More than 50 auctions will take place during the month, and more than 50 galleries will present new exhibitions all over the city.
Launched in 2019, the SIATM is aimed at helping Shanghai develop into a global center for art trade and cultural industries, says Bao Bingzhang, Party secretary of Xuhui district.
The inaugural edition of SIATM achieved more than 10 billion yuan ($ 1.5 billion) in sales revenue. This year, with the COVID- 19 pandemic forcing most of the art fairs around the world to be canceled, Shanghai, with its industry volume, official support and development strategies, has attracted wide attention from the international art world, Bao says.
Although there are still restrictions on international travel, the seventh installment of the West Bund Art & Design Expo, which will take place from Nov 11 to 15, will receive more than 100 galleries and institutions from 17 countries, according to the event organizers.
“People are eager to explore and buy art after a spring and summer full of anxiety and uncertainty,” says Hidenori Ota, founder of Ota Fine Arts from Tokyo, one of the galleries participating in the upcoming expo.
“Some of the rules in the art world have changed. I believe collectors will return to the art market with a new vision and stronger initiatives.”
Another art dealer, Liu Tao, founder of the Deyutang Gallery, also expresses confidence in the vision and strength of Chinese collectors.
“I believe much of the momentum held back by the pandemic will be released in Shanghai by the end of this year,” Liu says.
The West Bund Art & Design Expo will also collaborate with about 20 partners to introduce special projects that will take place in 40 art museums and other institutions in the city.
The new Art Tower is the first project in China by the SANAA architecture studio, which is led by Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. The 93,000- square- meter project consists of a cluster of seven structures and boasts international standards for the storage, display and shipment of artworks.
An online platform for the display and trade of artworks has been introduced at the tower to allow art industries around the world to communicate and trade despite the restrictions on international travel.
The Shanghai International Artwork Trade Center was the first to move into the new Art Tower. A multifunctional service institution, the center will provide one- stop service to art dealers, from transportation to insurance to third- party financial guarantees.
The Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing has also launched its new teaching and experimental base at the Art Tower.
Three exhibitions are taking place at the Art Tower during the SIATM. The showroom on the ground floor features fine works by artists from home and abroad, such as Yayoi Kusama, Julian Opie and Jeff Koons, while the second floor is hosting an exhibition of 100 fine thangka paintings, a unique Buddhist art genre from the Tibet autonomous region.
On the ninth- floor exhibition hall, ShanghART Gallery, a contemporary art institution, is presenting a showcase of new artworks from leading artists in the contemporary art scene around the world.