Shanghai's art fair extravaganza: WEST BUND and ART021

Shanghai art fairs Nov 2016 from Serene on Vimeo.

November 2016 has witnessed Shanghai grabbing the spotlight as China's destination for cutting-edge contemporary art experiences.

To coincide with the opening of the acclaimed 11th Shanghai Biennale and an array of art openings were two spectacular contemporary air fairs staged almost simultaneously on the second week of this month. The 3rd edition of the government-backed WEST BUND Art & Design (9-13 November 2016) has attracted over 32,000 visitors during its 5-day run.  Primarily an integral part of the so-called Shanghai "Cultural Corridor" initiative, WEST BUND highlighted 31 selected galleries with 22 curated commissions to entice visitors with the marvels of contemporary arts.

In a bigger scale, the fourth ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair (10-13 November 2016), hosted at the grand Soviet-style Baroque halls of the Shanghai Exhibition Center (SEC), showcased 84 galleries from 18 countries with an unprecedented attendance of over 60,000 visitors. Borrowing expertise from former Art Basel management, ART021 comprised of MAIN GALLERIES, APPROACH, BEYOND public projects, along with "Hooked", Academy Award winner Adrien Brody's premiere show in China.

Gallerists who strived to capitalise on the burgeoning art scene joined both venues concurrently. David Zwirner among the 20 of them,  sold works by Oscar Murillo and Neo Rauch on its VIP preview.  Edouard Malingue Gallery just launched a new space in West Bund art hub district, showcased works by Eric Baudart and Joao Vasco Paiva in ART021 while displaying Wang Zhibo and Laurent Grasso in West Bund. Kukje Gallery, whose stables include Korean and international artists, sold Kim Whanki's 1957 version of Garden for $4 million RMB at ART021. There are strong indications that Chinese art collectors have quickly acquired a taste for top-notch international artists and are willing to cut a quick deal for artworks of high values.

Meanwhile, the Authority has formulated a long-term plan to turn "Shanghai West Bund" into a culture-led financial hub. In addition to building an 8.4 km Museum Mile comparable to Manhattan, this Huangpu Waterfront also houses the West Bund Art Bonded Warehouses for fine art storage and services. These two annual art fairs would certainly play a vital role in fuelling the robust art market. 

WEST BUND Art & Design: Snapshots

WEST BUND Art & Design

Fair Interior

 Christopher Orr at the curated section entitled "Xian Chang"

 Radical Space by AD

Edouard Malingue (Hong Kong/Shanghai)

Gallerie Perrotin (Paris/Hong Kong)

Kukje Gallery (Seoul)

Ota Fine Arts (Tokyo)

Leo Xu Projects (Shanghai)

Pearl Lam Galleries (Hong Kong/Shanghai/Singapore)

White Cube (London/Hong Kong)

PACE (New York/London/Beijing/Hong Kong/Paris/Palo Alto)

ART021: Snapshots

ART021 at the Shanghai Exhibition Center (SEC)

West Wing Entrance, SEC

Dome Hall, SEC

Installation View, Dome Hall

Adrien Brody's lively colourful fish paintings at "Hooked" show

David Zwirner (New York/London)

MADEIN GALLERY (Shanghai)

 Left: Whitestone Gallery(Hong Kong/Tokyo/Karuizawa)  
Right: Hwas Gallery (Shanghai)

Hauser & Wirth (New York/L.A/London/Somerset/Zurich)

Gagosian Gallery has 16 exhibition space worldwide

Take Ninagawa (Tokyo)

Antenna Space (Shanghai)