September 8 through 14, China’s most populous city welcomes artists, dealers, and collectors for the inaugural edition of Shanghai Arts Week, one more step in the city’s evolution as a rival to Beijing as a national go-to art center. Two fairs—Photo Shanghai and the West Bund Art and Design Fair—offer both young and experienced collectors the opportunity to purchase works from a wide range of international artists and designers, broadening the potential for these markets in China. Simultaneously, the Art in the City Festival presents exhibitions and events for families and art lovers in venues throughout the city.
Photo Shanghai
SHANGHAI EXHIBITION CENTER
September 10 – 13
Tapping into China’s emerging photography market, the World Photography Organisation presents the inaugural edition
of Photo Shanghai, with
50 galleries showing vintage
and contemporary images from
more than 500 artists. Taka
Ishii Gallery, Magnum Photos,
and Gagosian Gallery all have
booths, and daily talks between
artists and experts in the field will accompany book signings, performances, and panel discussions. One
session considers photography in international museums, another is designed especially for first-time collectors, and a third session features the Wall Street Journal Magazine’s photography director, Jennifer Pastore, on the magazine’s approach to documenting artists.
West Bund Art and Design Fair
WEST BUND ART CENTER
September 8 – 13
Returning to Shanghai’s rapidly developing riverfront, the second edition of the fair presents 30 national and international galleries and design agencies in a restored aircraft factory. Under the direction of Chinese contemporary artist Zhou Tiehai, the event’s first edition was a resounding success, attracting international blue-chip galleries such as Hauser & Wirth, Pace, and Sadie Coles HQ; all are returning to the fair, along with a roster
of design firms that includes Atelier Deshaus and One Design Inc.
Art in the City Festival
CHI K11 ART MUSEUM, K11 ART MALL
September 11 – 14
Sponsored by several government agencies in collaboration with collector Adrian Cheng’s K11 Art Foundation, art in the city is a wide-ranging celebration of art in shanghai, with both analog and digital ways to participate. Tours of the city’s cultural venues, a smartphone app, a digital video and interactive project competition, and collaborations with emerging artists are on offer. The exhibition “Stop Making Sense” at the K11 Art Mall presents the work of emerging Chinese artists in an exploration of the relationship among artists, the living environment, and change.
A version of this article appears in the September 2015 issue of Art+Auction.
