ZendaiMOMA - Liang Shaoji 'You Si Miao - An Infinitely Fine Line'

Ok, so I'm cynical. Going to an exhibition about silk worms/moths in China is SO predictable and appears uninteresting. 'You Si Miao' - an infinite line. Just googled 'You Si Miao' to find a bit more about its historical references in Buddhism but couldn't find any. To get back to the show. Everything in the show related to silk and its life cycle but was then taken to a more seemingly philosophical level. I loved the large room, fully of data projectors projecting stunning images of skies just filled with clouds - my inner hippie was very happy. I think I would have preferred without the 31 days of the month LEDs made up of silk caccoons,  this piece would have had a quality about it similar to Turrell.

Upstairs was another great installation. First you walked into a dark room with two rows of silk cushions, each with headphones resting on them. There seemed to bits of rubbish on the floor, bits of paper. Then I walked over to a light that was lighting up an empty wall to see lots of moths collected in the light, some still alive. This was so natural and moving I loved it. Then I turned round to move into a back area of the installation to discover wood and straw stands and hundreds of moths. It was so cool. I didn't listen to the head phones. It is to me interesting about how much we access exhibitions, how much to we 'do' to actively participate to receive the work, sort of like going to exhibitions and not watching all of the video installation.

Internet Access in China - the Great Fire Wall

Apologies to all followers. Even though I now host this blog on a domain name because blogger was/is blocked. Contemporary Art Shanghai is inaccessible in China unless you have a proxy or personal VPN, which a lot of people don't.  It is very strange to write a blog to an audience that is on the other side of the Fire Wall, not the local art community. At the moment, I have access to blogger because I have a personal VPN but for the last few days even with this I can't access facebook or twitter. With a personal VPN or a proxy web surfing is super slow, basically accessing any sights that are outside of China have been 'made' very slow, similar speed to when the big internet cable near Taiwan that goes to the States got damaged. Sadly this censorship is not just about control of who says what, but about money, about which companies have access to the Chinese market, e.g. Chinese companies with state connections.

Frustrating!

Gladly, the internet is the only place where I experience any control over what I do or say really. Though exhibitions can be sensored - I don't know of any shows in particular but there is a feeling or sense that if you exhibit anything really outrageous overtly it will get closed down. I suppose most people just perpetually self sensor. It is not so much that they are just aware of the controling power but people here are nationalistic and, often rightly proud of their country.

art tactic on signs of recover of chinese art market

Art Tactic state the following their website

"The Chinese art market could be first out of the downturn: It looks like the Chinese art market could be about to regain some of the lost confidence too. After a dismal auction season in Hong Kong in November 2008, there were clear signs of recovery in the recent round of Chinese auctions in Hong Kong in May 2009." Art tactic

Though, the art market is something I worry about interesting though.

shcontemporary art fair 2009

10th - 13th September
Participating Galleries
lectures/forums
speakers include; eARTS, Hu Fang, Boris Gray, Raqs Media Collective, Carol Yinghua Lu, Jan Verwoert, Martha Rosler, Gao Shiming, Cuauhtemoc Medina, Hans Ulrich-Obrist and Jeorg Heiser.


Preview (by invitation): Wednesday, Sept 9th, 5 to 7 p.m.
Vernissage (by invitation): Wednesday, Sept 9th, 7 to 10 p.m.
VIP days (by invitation): Thursday 10th & Friday 11th Sept, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Public days (entry ticket): Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th Sept, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Shanghai Exhibition Centre No.1000 Yan An Zhong Lu

140sqm gallery - THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

New show opening at the 140 sqm gallery - THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
Like this gallery very much - very professional a quiet confidence about it.

Group exhibition, artists; Elaine W. Ho, Qiu Xiaofei, Liang Shuo, Sun Xun

Opening 8th September 3pm - 7pm
show dates; 8th September - 31st October

Burlesque Naughtiness at Art Labor

Friday 21st August opening party at Art Labor
TASSOLOGY - An anthropological exploration of the Pastie
AMELIA KALLMAN.
To those of us unused to the term 'pastie' - no it's not a pie eaten by people from the North of England.
Pastie = glue-on nipple patches with or without tassles!

Should be an interesting show - only up for a few days.

8 -11pm

ART LABOR Gallery
10 - 36 Yongjia lu, (near Maoming lu)
永嘉路36-10号（靠近茂名路）Shanghai, 200020上海

Surprises of the Universe

Opening 1st August the Cervantes Library holds 'Surprises of the Universe' exhibition. I love science and space so will be going to this one. On until September
contact censha@cervantes.org.cn
198-208 Anfu Lu,
Xuhui
near Wulumuqi Nan Lu
安福路198-208号
近乌鲁木齐南路