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World Expo file:
Shanghai desperately seeking foreign artists

The Shanghai World Expo, which will last from May to October 2010, is expected to have 70 million visitors, and plans are underway for tens of thousands of events as well as static displays over a six month period on the 5.2 km2 site. Foreign artists and performers it is hoped will take up a large share of this undertaking. The Chinese government budget for the event is expected to be in the region of US$ 3.7 billion.
Currently 186 countries and 47 international organizations have signed up to participate. Each country pavilion will host its own series of events, besides the events organized for the various themed sites. Building work is currently underway, with huge constructions appearing on both banks of the Huangpu River, which runs through Shanghai. A source from the Shanghai government Planning Department told the Art Newspaper, on condition of anonymity, that the department is currently soliciting applications from foreign artists for large scale street sculpture. “The leaders like foreign artists,” the source said. Funding for the sculptures will be in the region of over $100,000 per sculpture, or higher. “It depends on the applications, which will be put before the leaders,” the source said. With only eight months to go before the opening timelines are getting short.
Due to the huge scale of the event the Shanghai government has set up two bureaus, one for construction and one for demolition of the condemned industrial and residential structures on the downtown site. A bureaucratic morass has emerged, with district governments as well as central municipal authorities all playing diverse and complicated roles in the process alongside representatives of the numerous participating countries, it has been a slow development to discover what events will eventually emerge, and be provided for public viewing.
A source at the UK Pavilion said funding was being sought to bring Anish Kapoor and Anthony Gormley works to the site. Switzerland, Holland and Germany also are all planning visual arts events, though details have yet too fully emerge. Well known collector Ulli Sigg, amongst others, will attend the ground breaking event for the Swiss Pavilion in May. To date the USA has yet to confirm it will build its pavilion due to funding issues, and China may eventually need to provide finances if sponsorship does not materialise. Similarly it is likely China will provide funding to other cash strapped countries hit by the economic crisis.
Ren Xiang Yi of the Shanghai Expo Events Department explained that there will be 18 different categories of events, many of which will need foreign performers and artists. It is expected each hopeful participating artist or group will present its proposals to the Expo organizing committee via each country’s representatives. “There will be 30 event halls, and 223 pavilions, confirmed by the end of March,” Ren said, each of which will have its own programme. According to Ren foreign participants will perform in the areas of daily stage performances, dozens of national performance groups are expected, as well as special groups to celebrate various global festivals, besides the special programmes prepared by each country pavilion. “We are still evaluating plans from participants,” Ren said. The Expo will also have various themed events, such as a month long celebration for each continent, a daily rotating country day, global city days, and numerous China related themes.
Lisa Zhou, general manger of Shanghai E Arts Festival said: “The World Expo expects around 700,000 visitors a day for 6 months. Also, there will be about 20,000 events during this period. Who can curate all this? E Arts role is under discussion, we are interested in the ‘Young Expo’ which will be in the most technologically advanced part of the site.” The E Arts festival usually invites large numbers of foreign artists, and even has a purpose built dormitory to house them.
The Shanghai World Expo mascot, the ‘Haibao,’ a blue imp like figure, is now predominant throughout the city, and Singapore is expected to bring along its ‘Merlion’ and Denmark its ‘Little Mermaid,’ for the event. Construction work is underway citywide, including a massive expansion of the subway system, as Shanghai prepares to make its debut on the world stage.