SH Contemporary Spearheads China Art Market

Shanghai Contemporary

China is now the second largest art market after USA

Every September, Shanghai becomes a key destination for the international art world, as the entire Asian contemporary art scene comes together during SH Contemporary for the most dynamic art week of the year. The SH Contemporary 2011 launches between September 8th to 10th, with a preview on the 7th, in downtown Shanghai, at the extraordinary Shanghai Exhibition Center, and with a joint 4-day programme of openings, studio visits and events, in cooperation with the city’s leading galleries and cultural initiatives. Mirroring the Asia Pacific art systems in the city that is the hub of the region, SH Contemporary highlights the work of galleries that promote innovative practices and research and nurture the creative movements that are crossing China and Asia, changing the global cultural landscape. Under the new direction of Massimo Torrigiani, the 5th edition of the fair is organized into 2 main sections, providing visitors with a selection of cutting-edge and emerging art, including video, film, photography and new media.

The Art Show for selected established galleries and a New Entries section for emerging art and photography galleries, participating to the fair for the first time.
SH Contemporary Special Projects 2011, organized in cooperation with Arthub Asia:
First Issue, featuring Asia Pacific artists who had their first show or important presentations in 2010-2011.
Hot Spots presents monumental and site-specific works by established artists.
The Video Room holds screenings selected by a group of contributors.
The Search project initiated by RogueArt (Malaysia) displays the ways in which Southeast Asian art is categorized through literature, exhibitions, archival projects, the market and the media.

Spearheaded by a dynamic team of curators and producers – Davide Quadrio, Defne Ayas and Qiu Zhijie – Arthub Asia is a non-profit contemporary art organization devoted to art creation across Asia. In collaboration with museums and other public and private spaces and institutions, Arthub Asia initiates and delivers projects through a sustained dialogue with performance and new media artists.

SH Contemporary 2011 will see also the launch of a new section on photography, with specialized galleries, solo shows and offsite round tables hosted by M on the Bund, introducing the first edition of the Asia Pacific Photography Prize, awarded by an international jury of artists, editors and curators.

With the clear mission of contributing to the international development of the Asian art scene, SH Contemporary will focus on new works by famous artists, as well as on emerging artists and galleries and on international galleries who are actively developing their approach to the market in the Asia Pacific region.

Together with the introduction of new themes, such as the photography section, this renewed fair structure will make sure that SH Contemporary continues to offer experienced collectors a sense of discovery, while creating enthusiasm in a new, growing generation of art lovers and putting the contemporary art scene in contact with a new public to provide a good entry level for new buyers.

Shanghai is central to SH Contemporary. The fair will be held inside and outside the walls of the Exhibition Centre, involving galleries, the city’s cultural and educational institutions, alternative and independent art spaces, and the most advanced expressions of the city’s creative industries and the media.

By visiting Shanghai during the days of SH Contemporary, collectors and visitors will have a sense of the energies that are reshaping the art world, while international galleries will have the opportunity to take a central stage in an evolving market, exposing their artists to a public that is highly enthusiastic about contemporary art.  Visit the fair

Tags