Shanghai in Art
A new standard for the Asia Pacific
SH Contemporary – Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair has established itself as the annual appointment in China for the international art community.
Every September, collectors, art professionals and art lovers with an interest in Asian art and in the way it is re-shaping global culture, congregate in Shanghai—a true creative hub with a real art scene—to survey the latest developments of art in China and experience the new energies which are crossing the Asia-Pacific.
To achieve this, SH Contemporary set a new standard among the region’s art fairs complementing the quality and diversity of its exhibitors with its signature special projects; actual exhibitions, a programme of talks and conferences, video and photography presentations, and site-specific commissions; chiefly displayed at the fair for the the first time.
Moreover, a calendar of events developed in conjunction with the city’s leading institutions offers visitors a view of the city’s art world, with gallery and museum openings, daily shows, receptions, and parties.
From September 6th to 9th, a show with over 90 galleries from 18 countries, 30 Chinese contemporary art museums, a series of talks and conferences, attracted 600 collectors from all over the world and over 35,000 visitors inside and outside the walls of the Shanghai Exhibition Center.
Exhibitors presented themselves to the public with their newer works and good sales marked a solid fair. Most galleries already confirmed their participation to next year’s edition.
The strength of SH Contemporary is in the balance between Chinese and foreign galleries, a cosmopolitan vision that is re-defining “international” from an Asia-Pacific perspective.
This was reflected in sales of works by both Asian and international artists. Among others, Ablade Glover, Alighiero Boetti and Francesco Clemente, Araki Nobuyoshi and Yayoi Kusama, Carsten Nicolai, Ernesto Leal, Stefania Batoeva, reaching some of the most important collections in China and in the world, along with an astounding selection of Chinese masters from different generations like Ding Yi, Li Shan, Zhang Enli, Zhang Xiao Gang, Zhao Wu Ji, Zhu De Qun… new stars MadeIn Company and Jiang Pengyi, and emerging talents including Liu Chuang, Ma Qiusha, Xie Molin, Yao Jui-chung, Zhao Yao and Zeng Hao.
Among the participating galleries: Aike-Dellarco (Palermo and Shanghai), Alexander Ochs (Berlin and Beijing), Around Space (Shanghai), Aura (Beijing), Beijing Art Now, Beijing Commune, Boers Li (Beijing), C-Space (Beijing), Chi-Wen (Taipei), Eigen+Art (Berlin and Leipzig), Exhibit 320 (Delhi), Galleria Continua (San Gimignano, Beijing, Le Moulin), Gallery 18 (Shanghai), Greenaway (Adelaide), Iberia Center for Contemporary Art (Madrid and Beijing), James Cohan (New York and Shanghai), Leo Xu (Shanghai), M97 (Shanghai), Massimo De Carlo (Milan and London), Mizuma & One (Tokyo and Beijing), Other Gallery (Shanghai, Beijing, Wenzhou), Pablo’s Birthday (New York), Pearl Lam Galleries (Shanghai and Hong Kong), Sariev (Plovdiv), Schuebbe (Dusserldorf), Shanghai Gallery of Art, ShanghART (Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore), ShugoArts (Tokyo), Star (Beijing), Stills (Sydney), Tasneem (Barcelona), Thomas Erben (New York), Tina Keng and TKG+ (Taipei and Beijing), Triumph Art Space (Beijing), Urs Meile (Beijing and Lucerne), XVA (Dubai).
For the second year, projects were developed with curatorial network, Arthub Asia, with the contribution of Rachel Marsden, Shi Yong and Xiang Liping, while the focus on Indian contemporary art—featuring Aaditi Joshi, Gyan Panchal, Manish Nai, Raqs Media Collective, Rohini Devasher and Shilpa Gupta—was supported by the Creative India Foundation and curated by its director, Diana Campbell.
The talks involved, among others, collectors Don and Mera Rubell, gallerist and patron Pearl Lam, artists Shen Shaoming and Song Ling, curators Defne Ayas, Davide Quadrio, Jérôme Sans, Christine Starkman and Philip Tinari, critic John McDonald, and artist and chief curator of the Shanghai Biennale 2012, Qiu Zhijie.
The second edition of SH Contemporary Asia Pacific Photography Prize was won by Wen Ling represented by Star Gallery, Beijing. The jury was composed by artist Maurizio Anzeri, creative, editor and publisher Erik Kessels, photographers, creative directors and editors Peng & Chen, critic and curator Francesco Zanot, and chaired by curator Defne Ayas.
SH Contemporary is organized by BF China, a BolognaFiere Group company—one of Europe’s leading fair organizers—in cooperation with Shanghai International Cultural Communication Association (SICCA), Shanghai Art Fair Organization Committee and Eastern Shanghai International Culture Film & Television Group.
