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Here’s Shanghai Eye’s review of Shanghai Art week….for Art Newspaper

In Shanghai- money talks, art walks

Shanghai’s annual unofficially titled ‘art week’ with two art fairs and several major art events, and other festivals, took place this September, as the city cools off after a long hot summer. Over 50 significant art events took place, alongside the city’s tourist festival parades and other events, with government offices moving into high gear as the World Expo in 2010 approaches.

The government run Shanghai Art Fair, presenting itself as the largest art fair in Asia, presented its usual eclectic mix of Chinese traditional arts and crafts, some modern and contemporary work, side by side with hotel art, ceramics, and a rather austere collection of military art. The show sprawls over five floors of the Shanghaimart tradeshow complex. A main feature of the Shanghai Art Fair was the announcement that French artist Aurele has been proclaimed the Shanghai sculptor of the year. The exhibition entrance was flanked by two large works from his contentious ‘lost dog’ series. Aurele was locked in controversy last year after a dispute with local artists who were helping him create his works. According to the artist the situation has reached an amicable conclusion. Aurele said he sold numerous works at both SH Contemporary and Shanghai Art Fair. “The bigger pieces, and more sales were at the Shanghai Art Fair, mostly to government people, the other sales at SH Contemporary were to private buyers, that is the main difference between the two fairs, one is government the other is private,” he told the Art Newspaper.

The consensus among gallerists and pundits was that the annual Shanghai art fair SH Contemporary has “survived,” following a problematic second edition and issues surrounding the economic crisis, in part thanks to the appointment of a new director, Colin Chinnery, and improvements in service.

Chinnery told the Art Newspaper that there will definitely be a fourth edition in 2010. SH Contemporary presented a much reduced fair of 75 galleries, with fewer well known galleries present. International galleries were noticeable in their absence, with international presence mostly coming from Italy, Japan and Korea.

Gallerist Michael Schultz said “last year was like Art Basel, those big galleries didn’t come back, its about money. This time it is Chinese art for Chinese people. We did though miss some collectors from Indonesia and Taiwan.” Shultz sold seven works, ranging from a US $110,000 piece by Korean artist Seo to a Shanghainese collector, and other Chinese pieces ranging from US $12,000 to US $28,000 to mainly Western collectors.

A main change this years SH Contemporary’s approach was the fair paid for an “unlimited” number of collectors to stay at a five star Shanghai hotel. It also launched a special collectors program with several hundred potential and current collectors signing up. Collectors were treated to a special gala VIP dinner. Jeffrey Rosen of Japan’s Taka Ishii Gallery said “interaction with Chinese collectors increased substantially this year, the first two years we never talked to one.“

Fair Director Chinnery said: “Shanghai was written off, in the realistic world we live in people demand we get it right. It is not standard issue to pay for unlimited hotel rooms- but this was the extraordinary statement we had to make this year, to prove Shanghai is a great art destination and experience. Collectors are super happy.”

SH Contemporary announced 30,000 visitors. Reported sales were ‘satisfactory’- Ota Fine Arts sold US$ 800,000 of works by Yayoi Kusama, the gallery’s Yoshiko Rogi said this was the gallery’s third outing to Shanghai. Taiwan’s X-Power sold 23 works for a value of $1.17 million. By the last day the gallery had installed a red tape to prevent too many exuberant exhibition goers from swamping their stall. Giorgio Pessaro Gallery sold 3 works by Shen Fan for US$ 66,000.

Many local galleries saw sales, with interest mostly in younger Chinese artists. Lily Li of Beijing Space gallery sold 5 works by the artist Yi Chen in the region of US$25,000 each, and several other works. Experimental gallery Long March did “very well” according to the organizers, but did not comment on sales.

Commercial hope is on next year when Shanghai will be home to the World Expo, with an expected 70 million visitors, the popular Shanghai biennale and other attractions

The huge Shanghai International Exhibition Center used by SH Contemporary was Stalin’s gift to Chairman Mao. Due to a lack of galleries the space was supplemented by numerous art installations in the discovery section, taking on more the air of a biennial in parts. The one site discussions were also greatly improved, with global art world luminaries such as Hans Ulbricht Obrist giving talks.

There was some pilfering of exhibitors goods, with reports of mobile phones, bags and laptops going missing, a perennial problem at Shanghai expositions and trade shows. Guards were also on alert to stop the infamous Shanghai ticket touts- known locally as “yellow cows”- from selling vip passes at the gate.

The art fairs also proved to be a catalyst for a multitude of off-site activity. As 2009 is being seen as the 30th anniversary year of Chinese contemporary art- following the Stars exhibition in 1979, several major shows focused on historical artworks, such as the “History in the making- Shanghai 1979-2009,” a large sprawling show of over 50 artists work curated by Biljana Ciric, the “in the 1980s-Shanghai Avant-Garde” show at Duolun Museum, and the “Stolen Treasures of Modern China” show at Shanghart. Seminal artists, Wu Shanzhuan and Inga Svala Thorsdottir presented a semi- retrospective of work spanning 20 years with “That’s Right (s) 09 The More” at Shanghai Gallery of Art. Liang Shaoji’s solo show at Zendai MOMA You si miao – an infinitely fine line, with work mostly revolving around his intricate training of silk worms, was well received.

Shanghai e-arts festival also took place during the week- curators Zhang Ga and Li Zhenhua brought together an interesting mix of foreign and local artists for a show in the basement and on the 78th floor of Shanghai’s iconic Oriental Pearl tower.

Minsheng Art Museum also opened its doors, with a very well curated mixed show of local and international artists. Newly appointed museum director Zhou Tiehai would not comment on speculation surrounding Minsheng bank’s plans to build a collection along the lines of USB. It was widely rumored that the bank was considering a purchase of the Ullens’ collection, but Zhou said “now is not the time to talk about that.”

Other major shows focused on China’s upcoming younger ‘generation raised by wolves’ artists, the highlights being the “Bourgoisified Proletariat” show in the city’s Songjiang district and “Rebirth 800” in a new creative zone downtown.